Add to Calendar 2025-09-22T16:00:00 2025-09-22T17:00:00 ASTRO Jamboree! Event Information: ASTRO JAMBOREE! PHAS Students!  Come join us for our annual ASTRO Jamboree! This event brings together PHAS folks working in a wide range of astronomy and astrophysics research areas at UBC, driven by some of the most exciting questions in modern science.  Our faculty, postdoc and student researchers are seeking answers to:    How did planets, stars and galaxies form?   What can we learn about the early Solar System by studying small bodies?   How do observations of proto-planetary systems tell us about the formation of our own Sun and planets?   By studying exo-planets, can we learn about the possibilities for life elsewhere in the Universe?   What do studies of stellar populations have to tell us about how our Milky Way galaxy was put together?   Can we use compact objects to probe the most extreme conditions, and hence learn about extension to standard physics?   What are the precise values of the numbers that describe our Cosmos, including the energy census, expansion rate and initial      conditions?   How can we learn more about the nature of Dark Matter and Dark Energy?   Can new approaches to statistical analysis improve how information is extracted from astronomical data?   What new instrumentation developments will help most with the above questions? To study planets, stars, galaxies, the material in between, and the Universe as a whole at a variety of wavelengths, UBC astronomers and astrophysicists take full advantage of major observatories across the globe and in space.  We work with: Dominion Radio Astrophysical Observatory (Penticton) have been regularly used by both faculty and students CHIME (Canadian Hydrogen Intensity Mapping Experiment), a radio telescope that will study hydrogen gas halfway across the Universe. The 3.6-metre aperture of the Canada-France-Hawaii Telescope on Mauna Kea, which supplies probably the sharpest images currently obtainable from the ground, has become a key research tool for the Department, The twin 8-metre Gemini Telescopes (one located in each of Hawaii and Chile), on which UBC faculty and students have been consistently successful at obtaining observing time.   We remain active users of the 15-metre James Clerk Maxwell Telescope, a world-class instrument at millimetre and sub-millimetre wavelengths, located in Hawaii and UBC astronomers have also been frequent users of the Atacama Large Millimeter/Submillimeter Array in Chile.   The Very Large Array in New Mexico, the 300-m dish at Arecibo, Puerto Rico, the 100-m Green Bank Telescope in West Virginia and telescopes at Parkes, Australia, and Jodrell Bank, U.K. are other radio facilities used by UBC researchers.   Several ground-based cosmic microwave background experiments have had (and continue to have) significant involvement from UBC. Hubble Space Telescope WMAP, Herschel and Planck satellites   The leadership for the small optical space telescope MOST was at UBC, which included study of extrasolar planets and astero-seismology. Members of the Department are also heavily involved in projects, including the James Webb Space Telescope, the Thirty Metre Telescope, the Square Kilometre Array and the CMB-Stage 4 experiment. Event Location: HENN 318

Add to Calendar 2025-09-29T16:00:00 2025-09-29T17:00:00 The Origin of Hyperion and Saturn's Rings Event Information: Abstract:  The age of the rings and some of the moons of Saturn is an open question, and multiple lines of evidence point to a recent (few hundred Myr ago) cataclysm involving disruption of past moons. The main driver of the evolution of the Saturnian system is relatively rapid tidal expansion of its largest moon, Titan which is likely driven by resonant tides within Saturn. The obliquity of Saturn and the orbit of the small moon Hyperion both serve as a record of the past orbital evolution of Titan. We propose that Saturn's past spin-orbit resonance with Neptune was broken and Hyperion formed in a single dynamical instability about 400 Myr ago. This instability also excited the inclination of Iapetus and eccentricity of Titan. Subsequent interaction between now-eccentric Titan and the inner moons lead a secondary instability, in which the inner moons were re-accreted and the current ring system was formed.  We present numerical integrations that show that this chain of events has a relatively high probability, and discuss how it fits within our knowledge of the Saturnian system.  Bio:  Matija Ćuk is Research Scientist at the SETI Institute in Mountain View, California. He specialises in the orbital and rotational dynamics of the Solar System bodies, and has worked on the origin and dynamics of binary asteroids, the Earth-Moon system, and Saturn's moons and rings. He is recipient of the 2014 Harold Urey Prize awarded by the Division of Planetary Sciences of the American Astronomical Society. Learn More:  About the SETI Institute: https://archive.seti.org/about About Saturn: https://science.nasa.gov/saturn/ and https://www.nasa.gov/?search=saturn See a close-up of Titan: https://science.nasa.gov/resource/titan-2/ See a close-up of Hyperion: https://science.nasa.gov/saturn/moons/hyperion/ Read Nature journal article, "The large obliquity of Saturn explained by the fast migration of Titan": https://www.nature.com/articles/s41550-020-01284-x  Event Location: HENN 318

Add to Calendar 2025-10-06T16:00:00 2025-10-06T17:00:00 ASTRO Colloquium with Ellis Owen Event Information: Abstract: TBD Bio: TBD Learn more: TBD This page will be updated with biographer and abstract information, shortly! Event Location: HENN 318

Add to Calendar 2025-10-20T16:00:00 2025-10-20T17:00:00 ASTRO Colloquium with Larry Nittler Event Information: Abstract: TBD Bio: Learn More: This page will be updated with biographer and abstract information, shortly! Event Location: HENN 318

Add to Calendar 2025-10-27T16:00:00 2025-10-27T17:00:00 Astronomy Colloquia with David Setton Event Information:  Abstract: TBD Bio: TBD Learn More: TBD This page will be updated with biographer and abstract information, shortly!  Event Location: HENN 318

Add to Calendar 2025-11-03T16:00:00 2025-11-03T17:00:00 WST - The Wide Field Spectroscopic Survey Telescope Event Information: Abstract:  The WST project aims to design and construct an innovative 10-metre class wide-field spectroscopic survey telescope (WST) in the southern hemisphere. It will feature the parallel operation of two cutting-edge instruments: a high-multiplex (30,000), large field-of-view (3 square degrees) multi-object spectrograph (MOS) operating in both low- and high-resolution modes, and a giant panoramic integral field spectrograph (IFS). WST’s ambitious top-level requirements place it well ahead of all existing and planned facilities. In its first five years of operation, the MOS is expected to observe 300 million galaxies, 25 million stars at low resolution, and 2 million stars at high resolution, while the IFS will deliver 4 billion spectra. These capabilities will enable transformative science across a wide range of astrophysical domains. A key strength of WST lies in the synergy between its MOS and IFS instruments, offering highly complementary spectroscopic survey modes. This dual approach is central to the project’s scientific ambition. WST is envisioned as the next major facility for ESO following the ELT, and a proposal will be submitted in response to the upcoming ESO Call for Ideas in 2027.  Given the project’s early stage, there is an opportunity to broaden the current collaboration—comprising leading institutes from nine European countries and Australia—by engaging additional communities interested in contributing to its development and scientific exploitation.  Bio:  Roland Bacon is the principal investigator of the MUSE instrument (Multi Unit Spectroscopic Explorer) the Very Large Telescope (VLT) of ESO. MUSE is the most sought-after instrument of the VLT today and has already led to a large number of spectacular scientific discoveries, covering almost all subjects, from the science of the Solar System to observational cosmology. Since the 1980's, Roland Bacon has built and commissioned several groundbreaking instruments in the field of integral field spectroscopy, such as the TIGER instrument for the Canada-France-Hawai Telescope, the OASIS instrument and the William Herschel Telescope's SAURON instrument for the analysis of the movements and star populations of nearby galaxies. From 1995 to 2005, Roland Bacon headed the Centre de recherche astrophysique de Lyon. His research focused on the instrumentation of large optical telescopes and extragalactic astronomy has allowed him to direct and participate in more than 350 publications. Roland Bacon has already received several awards for his work, such as an ERC Advanced Fellowship in 2013 and the Jackson-Gwilt Medal of the Royal Astronomical Society in 2020. Learn More:  About the Multi Unit Spectroscopic Explorer (MUSE): https://www.eso.org/sci/facilities/develop/instruments/muse.html About the wide-field spectroscopic survey telescope (WST): https://www.wstelescope.com/ About multi-object spectrographs (MOS): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Multi-Object_Spectrometer About integral field spectrographs (IFS): https://www.eso.org/public/teles-instr/technology/ifu/ About Roland: https://observatoire.univ-lyon1.fr/actualites/roland-bacon-laureat-du-prix-johann-wempe About the Centre de Recherche Astrophysique de Lyon: https://cral.osu-lyon.fr/  Links: See Roland in this English video, "Highlights from the MUSE, a 2nd generation VLT instrument for the VLTerche Astrophysique de Lyon": https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MOrNz__7dGg    Event Location: HENN 318

Add to Calendar 2025-11-17T16:00:00 2025-11-17T17:00:00 The Growing Danger of Nuclear Weapons and the Fantasy of Missile Defense Event Information: Abstract: One of the most critical security challenges for humankind is the existence of nuclear weapons. The destructive power in the thousands of nuclear weapons in existence threaten human civilization as we know it. In fact, trends indicate the risks of nuclear war are acute and growing: hard-won arms control agreements are being abandoned, nuclear weapons-possessing states are spending enormous resources to refurbish existing nuclear weapons and to develop new types of strategic weapons, and nuclear-armed nations continue to be drawn closer to direct conflict. The new US program to build a “Golden Dome” system, potentially including Canada as a partner, envisions developing a space-based missile defense that would require hundreds or thousands of orbiting interceptors designed to destroy nuclear armed intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs) as they launch.  This talk will present recent research that evaluates the current and future feasibility of ground- and space-based missile defense systems and their likely effects on the risks of nuclear war as well as our ability to safely use space for peaceful purposes, and discusses how scientists have constructively engaged policymakers and their communities to help reduce nuclear dangers. Figure: American Physical Society report “Strategic Ballistic Missile Defense: Challenges to Defending the United States.” Figure 6 View of Earth showing the constellation of 1,600 space-based interceptors that would be required to ensure that one is available to intercept a rapid salvo launch of four Hwasong-15 ICBMs from North Korea, if the system was designed to fire interceptors almost automatically, i.e., if no time is allowed to decide whether to fire them. If instead the system was designed to allow 30 seconds to decide whether to fire interceptors, about 2,200 interceptors would be needed to ensure that enough are available to intercept such a salvo. See text for details. Adapted from [NRC 2012, Fig. 2-20].   Bio: Dr. Laura Grego is a senior scientist and research director in the Global Security Program at the Union of Concerned Scientists. A physicist by training, she works at the intersection of science and policy on the topics of nuclear weapons, missile defense, and space security. She was recently a Stanton Nuclear Security Fellow at the MIT Laboratory for Nuclear Science and Engineering and was awarded the APS Leo Szilard Lectureship award in 2023. She is an associate editor for the journal Science and Global Security, and a Fellow of the American Physical Society and a member of its Panel on Public Affairs for six years. She has authored papers on topics from cosmology to nuclear security issues and has testified before U.S. Congress and the United Nations. Dr. Grego earned a PhD in experimental physics at the California Institute of Technology and a bachelor of science degree in physics and astronomy at the University of Michigan. Learn More: See her Senior Research Director webpage of the Global Security Program at Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS): https://www.ucs.org/about/people/laura-grego Read her report, "The Physics of Space Security" Read the UCS blog: https://blog.ucs.org/author/lgrego/ Listen to Science Friday audio segment, "The ABC's of nuclear War": https://www.sciencefriday.com/person/laura-grego/    Event Location: HENN 318

Add to Calendar 2025-11-24T16:00:00 2025-11-24T17:00:00 Astronomy Colloquia with Alexandra Tatarenko Event Information: Abstract: TBD Bio: TBD Learn More: TBD This page will be updated with biographer and abstract information, shortly! Event Location: HENN 318

Add to Calendar 2025-12-01T16:00:00 2025-12-01T17:00:00 The nature of small planets orbiting M dwarfs Event Information: Abstract: M dwarfs are the most common type of star in the galaxy, and they abound with small planets on close-in orbits that can be studied with the transit and radial velocity techniques. I will present the results of overlapping projects that examine the frequencies, bulk compositions, and atmospheres of these compelling planets. The first project is a volume-limited survey of transiting planets discovered by TESS. By modeling the completeness of TESS, we have placed new constraints on the frequencies of planets orbiting the latest M dwarfs. Additionally, using my group's new MAROON-X spectrograph, we have measured precise masses of the TESS volume-limited sample, revealing the demographics of their bulk compositions. Finally, we are searching for atmospheres on M dwarf terrestrial planets using JWST thermal emission measurements. So far, we have placed tight limits on the presence of secondary atmospheres for a number of planets. These results have ramifications for hypotheses about atmospheric retention in the face of loss processes (i.e., the "Cosmic Shoreline") and the formation of silicate vapor atmospheres from the evaporation of solid surfaces.  Bio: Jacob Bean's current research focuses on the study of extrasolar planetary systems. He uses a variety of ground- and space-based facilities to detect and characterize planets around nearby stars. His particular interests are in studying planets around low-mass stars and in probing the atmospheres of the smallest known exoplanets. Learn More: About Jacob from his faculty page: https://astrophysics.uchicago.edu/people/profile/jacob-bean/ About the Bean Exoplanet Group: https://astro.uchicago.edu/~jbean/index.html About the Maroon-S instrument: https://www.gemini.edu/instrumentation/maroon-x    Event Location: HENN 318