2012_Nov_Discovering Other Earths

Dark Energy and the Runaway Universe

Description

Astronomers have long known that the universe is expanding, but assumed that it would slow to a halt and then collapse. More recent observations of bright, exploding supernovae reveal that not only is the universe accelerating, an enigmatic “dark energy” is stretching it apart, creating a runaway universe. What dark energy is — and where it comes from — may be the greatest unsolved puzzle in all of physics. Hear global astronomy superstar and renowned Berkeley professor Alex Filippenko unravel the mysteries of the cosmos.

Dates and Locations

San Francisco

Oct. 25, 2012
Hyatt Regency San Francisco

Los Angeles

Nov. 3, 2011
Hyatt Regency Century Plaza

Featuring

Alex Filippenko

Alex Filippenko

Filippenko joined the Berkeley faculty in 1986. One of the world’s most highly cited astronomers and the only person to have served on both teams that simultaneously discovered the Nobel-worthy accelerating expansion of the universe. He is an elected member of the National Academy of Sciences, has …

More about Alex Filippenko