Astronomers from across Canada and around the world converge on UBC to share the latest cosmic discoveries

Canadian Astronomical Society Annual Meeting
May 27 to 30, 2013
University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada

What are the best candidate worlds to find a real-life ET? How are cosmologists revising the latest biography of the entire Universe – past, present and future? How do some astronomers act like astronomical versions of Indiana Jones to uncover secrets in 'stellar graveyards'? How can Canadian educators learn lessons from South African experiences linking African cultural traditions with modern astrophysics? Where will Einstein fail?

More than 240 astronomers from the U.S., Europe, Africa and Canada will explore these questions and more during the annual meeting of the Canadian Astronomical Society (Societé canadienne d‟astronomie) hosted by UBC Physics and Astronomy in Vancouver, Canada.

One of the world's leading cosmologists, Malcolm Longair (University of Cambridge) will deliver the Helen Sawyer Hogg Public Lecture on Cosmology: Its Tortuous History, Glorious Present and Bright Future. Researchers from NASA’s Kepler and James Webb Space Telescope missions, from European Space Agency missions, and from newly launched, made-in Canada projects, will present their latest findings.

CASCA 2013 scientific sessions are not open to the public, but the media are invited to listen to the announcements of new discoveries and presentations of plans for future observatories and instruments on Earth and in space. Scientists and students participating in the conference will be available for interviews during their time in Vancouver.

See the complete media release by UBC Faculty of Science for more information.

Public Event: The Helen Sawyer Hogg Public Lecture of the Canadian Astronomical Society’s Annual Meeting, hosted at the University of British Columbia this year. This pubilc lecture is sponsored jointly by the Canadian Astronomical Society (CASCA) and the RASC, and is so named in recognition of the lifelong contributions of Helen Sawyer Hogg towards increasing public awareness and appreciation of the Universe around us.

This year, the Hogg Lecture will be given by Dr. Malcolm Longair on Tuesday, May 28 at the Hebb Theatre. The lecture, titled Cosmology - its tortuous history, glorious present and bright future, will describe the remarkable history of our understanding of the origin and evolution of our Universe from the time of Newton to the present day. The lecture will be delivered at a non-technical level and will be profusely illustrated by the most recent images, simulations and videos.