'UNDER THE STARS' SUMMER LECTURE 2008
The amazing magnetars
SUMMARY:
About once a decade, an unbelievably powerful pulse of gamma-rays slams
into the Earth, overwhelming satellites and ionising the atmosphere. The
source of these explosions are tiny, super-magnetic, bizarre stars called
"magnetars", located tens of thousands of light-years away.
Bryan Gaensler was in the box seat for the most recent of these magnetar
outbursts. He will explain where magnetars come from and what we know
about them, and will show some of the measurements that he and his
colleagues have recorded from this incredible event.
LECTURER:
Professor Bryan Gaensler
The University of Sydney, NSW
Bryan Gaensler is a Professor of Physics at The University of Sydney, and is a Federation Fellow of the Australian Research Council.
Gaensler was born in Sydney in 1973. He is a graduate of The University of Sydney, from which he was awarded the University Medal in physics in 1995, followed by a PhD in physics in 1998. He subsequently held positions as a Hubble Fellow at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, as the Clay Fellow at the Smithsonian Institution and then as an Associate Professor at Harvard University, before returning to Australia in 2006. Gaensler's current research interests focus on the demographics of neutron stars and black holes in our Milky Way and on the origin of magnetism in interstellar space.
Prof. Gaensler was the 1999 Young Australian of the Year, gave the 2001 Australia Day Address to the nation, was a 2005 Alfred P. Sloan
Research Fellow, and was the recipient of the 2006 Newton Lacy Pierce Prize awarded by the American Astronomical Society. He has authored or co-authored over 140 scientific papers, and has written dozens of popular articles on science and astronomy. He lives in Sydney with his wife, Laura, and son, Finn.
 |
| Caption: Artist's conception of a magnetar, with magnetic field lines (from Robert S. Mallozzi, UAH/NASA MSFC).
|
| DATE: |
Friday 15th February |
| TIME: |
8:00pm |
| LOCATION: |
Observatory back lawn (alternate venue if raining) 337 Walnut Rd, Bickley |
| ALTERNATE VENUE: |
(in case of rain or high wind) tentatively - Lesmurdie
Senior High School - call Perth Observatory to confirm |
| COST: |
$5/person (Admission fees are used to assist us with production costs) |
| BOOKING ESSENTIAL: |
Ticket numbers are limited
Please call the Observatory on 9293 8255 with your credit card handy,
or send a check or postal note with covering letter to: Summer Lecture,
Perth Observatory, 337 Walnut Rd, Bickley 6076 by Wednesday 28th March,
2007. |
Here are some more details to assist you enjoy the summer lecture.
• Please note the lecture is conducted in the open air,
• Bring a chair and insect repellent,
• Feel free to bring a picnic dinner, no drinks or food will be
provided,
• Please use the rubbish bins provided,
• No refunds will be given,
• Parents must exert strict control over the children under their
supervision for the obvious safety reasons and in order not to distract
the speaker and/or spoil the occasion for other attendees,
• Parking at the Observatory is limited so try to minimise the number
of cars in your party,
• For your own safety and convenience please follow the directions of
the Observatory staff, parking marshals and security officers,
• In the interests of safety, and because of the limited number of staff,
NO tour of the Observatory facilities will be possible before, during
or after the lecture, and
• Smoking is prohibited at the Observatory.
