Noted astronomer Martha P. Haynes
will deliver the Hewlett Lecture on “Mapping the Universe: Galaxies, Dark
Matter and What We Don't Know” on Tuesday, Nov. 9, at 7 p.m. in the F.W. Olin Center Auditorium at Union College.
Her talk, which is free and open
to the public, is sponsored by the Hewlett Foundation.
It has been less than 100 years
since astronomers understood that the Milky Way Galaxy is just one of millions
of galaxies in the universe. In this talk, Haynes will review what the universe
around us “looks like,” what our neighbor galaxies are like, and how dramatic
events in the past have affected many of them, including our Milky Way. She
will also talk about “dark matter,” how it affects our local surroundings, and
the big questions that still remain in the 21st century.
Haynes is the Goldwin Smith
Professor of Astronomy at Cornell
University. Her research
focuses on the mapping of the distribution of matter in the nearby universe and
on the study of the evolutionary histories of spiral galaxies. She and her
research group use telescopes throughout the world, including the Arecibo 305-meter radio telescope in Puerto
Rico and the Palomar 200-inch telescope. She is a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and a recipient
of the National Academy of Sciences' Henry Draper Medal.