Physics Department celebrates International Year of Astronomy with lecture series

October 23, 2009

2009 is the International Year of Astronomy and the Physics Department at the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater is celebrating with its 2009 Observatory Lecture Series.

The series begins at 8 p.m. Friday, Oct. 23, in Upham Hall 141, with Associate Professor Paul Rybski's presentation, "Hans Lippershay and Eyeglass Technology."

Rybski's program begins a series of five insightful presentations that will dive into physics and astronomy to look into the origins of the sciences while also highlighting Galileo, the man who is commonly referred to as the father of modern observational astronomy. Stephen Maran, who worked for NASA for 35 years and serves as a senior adviser for the American Astronomical Society, will give the series’ second presentation at 8 p.m. Friday, Oct. 30, in the Hamilton Center.

Steven Sahyun, physics department chair, feels the lecture series is a great way for people to learn about astronomy.

"All of this year's lectures are great," Sahyun said. "Whitewater is a neat place to come to and physics is a very interesting subject."

Sahyun thinks the lectures are a great way for not only students but also community members to learn about astronomy.

"It's really great public outreach for the Physics Department and the Observatory," he said. "It lets them (the public) know that if they have questions they can come here." All lecture series events are free and open to everyone.

Following the lectures is an opportunity for those in attendance to observe the sky through telescopes at the University Observatory as the weather permits.

"Astronomy is cool stuff," Sahyun said. "People have an inherent interest in astronomy because it's something we see all the time. It's always there for us to see and wonder at what's up there."

For a more information on the lectures visit academics.uww.edu/physics/events.php.

2009 Observatory Lecture Series:

• 8 p.m., Friday, Oct. 23, Upham Hall 141, Paul Rybski, “Hans Lippershay and Eyeglass Technology”
• 8 p.m., Friday, Oct. 30, Hamilton Center, Stephen Moran, “Galileo to Hubble and Beyond”
• 8 p.m., Friday, Nov. 6, Upham Hall 141, Paul Rybski, “Galileo’s Hits, His Misses and Why”
• 8 p.m., Friday Nov. 20, Upham Hall 141, Marsha Wolf, “Quasars, Black Holes, and Galaxies: Which Comes First”
• 8 p.m., Friday, Dec. 4, Upham Hall 141, Paul Rybski and Bob Benjamin, “Is Pluto a Planet? We Debate; You Decide”