Astrophysics & Planetary Sciences Colloquium

Abstract: Field massive stars are more easily identified and studied than those in crowded cluster environments.  While some massive stars may form in relative isolation, most are ejected from clusters via dynamical processes and supernova kicks in binary systems.  Since both mechanisms are driven by binarity in the massive star population, field stars and their kinematics probe the effects of binarity, which can strongly influence stellar evolution by the tr

Abstract:

Abstract: Lunar volatiles, especially water, hold the key to sustaining long-term human presence on the Moon and beyond.

March 10th, our colloquium will feature six short research talks by current APS 3rd years. Come help us celebrate ongoing student research in APS!

- Anna Zuckerman, Electron Beam Simulations for Substellar Atmospheres

Abstract: A growing number of surprisingly massive galaxies are now being found in the first ~billion years after the Big Bang that push the limits of theoretical predictions within Lambda-CDM. Unusually bright high-redshift galaxies discovered by JWST challenge our most fundamental models of how fast stars form. Some of them contain overly massive black holes whose formation is uncharted. Massive dusty starbursts found with ALMA are requiring new explanations about early dust production.

Abstract: For the past four decades, the Space Telescope Science Institute has served as the bridge between NASA's flagship astrophysics missions and the scientific community through its role as the science operations center for Hubble, Webb, and Roman. The Hubble Space Telescope is celebrating its 35th year of operations, and continues to lead innovative new discoveries with its ultraviolet-optical capabilities and decades of high precision data.

Abstract: Thorne-Zytkow objects (TZOs) - stars with the outward appearance of red supergiants supported by neutron degenerate cores - are some of the most mysterious and compelling stars in the universe. Thought to be formed from the mergers of binary massive stars, they represent a completely new model for stable stellar interiors, a distinct evolutionary channel for massive binaries and compact objects, and a novel channel for producing the heavy elements that have enriched our universe.