The Restless Universe (and the Periodic Table)

About This Event

As a North Carolina Science Festival event, UNC’s Institute for Cosmology, Subatomic Matter & Symmetries invites you to Morehead Planetarium and Science Center for a special talk by distinguished speaker Shri Kulkarni of Caltech.

The Restless Universe (and the Periodic Table)

Following the Big Bang, the universe was uniform and devoid of chemistry – until stars forged the elements that makeup the periodic table. Astronomers have since uncovered numerous cosmic explosions, with supernovae being the most prominent.

The Palomar Transient Factory and its successor, the Zwicky Transient Factory (ZTF), have revolutionized our ability to detect these celestial events using cutting edge telescopes and advanced software. This talk will explore groundbreaking discoveries, from super-luminous supernovae to planets being consumed by aging stars, paving the way for the next generation of wide-field survey telescopes that will transform our view of the dynamic universe.