Astrophysics & Planetary Sciences Colloquium

Abstract: NASA's latest great flagship observatory, JWST, was built in part to reveal the earliest moments of cosmic history. In the ~2 years since it began releasing data to the public, JWST has enthralled scientists and the public alike with the incredible images and spectroscopic information from astronomical objects as nearby as our solar system and beyond to the most distant reaches of the Universe.

Abstract: The Origins, Spectral Interpretation, Resource Identification, and Security-Regolith Explorer (OSIRIS-REx) spacecraft mission characterized and collected a sample from asteroid (101955) Bennu.

Abstract: The first robotic commercial lunar lander, Intuitive Machines’ Odysseus, touched down on the Moon in the South Pole region on 22 February 2024. This mission was part of NASA’s Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) program. Odysseus carried with it the first NASA radio astronomy telescope to the surface of the Moon – Radiowave Observations at the Lunar Surface of the photoElectron Sheath (ROLSES).

APS Colloquia will resume in Spring Semester 2025.