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Due to changes in funding, the Space Telescope Public Lecture Series will go on hiatus. New public talks may appear later in 2025, possibly under a new format. Check this page or subscribe to our email list for further updates. Please continue to enjoy our archive of past lectures featured below.

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Each event features a noted scientist who discusses a different cosmic topic. These lectures will be presented with a livestream to YouTube, and questions can be asked in the YouTube chat. The recordings will also be posted on our YouTube channel and accessible from this page.

Lectures are typically held at 8 PM EDT (UTC -4) during Daylight Time and 8 PM EST (UTC -5) during Standard Time, unless otherwise noted.

Mosaic of Hubble imagery

Past Lectures

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  1. Exploring the Solar System with the James Webb Space Telescope

    February 27, 2025 Lectures

    The James Webb Space Telescope is revolutionizing our knowledge of the cosmos, from the most distant galaxies to objects right here in our own local neighborhood. Infrared  studies of the Solar...

  2. Hunting the Stellar Undead

    December 3, 2024 Lectures

    Speaker: Gregory Sivakoff (University of Alberta) Stars are born, and stars die, but not all stars fade quietly into the night after their death. In fact, some are even more spectacular in their death...

  3. The Invisible Universe and the Power of Citizen Science

    November 14, 2024 Lectures

    Speaker: Eleni Vardoulaki (National Observatory of Athens) What's in the invisible universe? How can we best observe it? The international collaboration Evolutionary Map of the Universe (EMU)...

  4. NASA's Next Big Thing: The Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope

    September 3, 2024 Lectures

    Speaker: Ori Fox (Space Telescope Science Institute) NASA's upcoming Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope is readying for launch in late 2026. Roman will be able to survey the sky 1,000 times...

  5. Year Two in Review: Groundbreaking Science Discoveries by JWST

    August 6, 2024 Lectures

    Speaker: Macarena Garcia Marin (Space Telescope Science Institute/European Space Agency) The James Webb Space Telescope is the largest, most sophisticated telescope ever launched into space. After two...

  6. The Pillars of Creation: Multiwavelength Explorations in 3D

    July 2, 2024 Lectures

    Speaker: Dr. Frank Summers (Space Telescope Science Institute) The Pillars of Creation in the Eagle Nebula is one of the most iconic images in astronomy. It was popularized by the Hubble Space Telescope's...

  7. Exploring the Origins of Planetary Systems with JWST

    June 4, 2024 Lectures

    Speaker: Nicole Arulanantham (Space Telescope Science Institute) Newborn stars are surrounded by disks of gas and dust. Within these wide, thin disks, a system of planets can form. The...

  8. Shedding Light on Dark Matter with Hubble

    May 7, 2024 Lectures

    Speaker: Eduardo Vitral (Space Telescope Science Institute) Dark matter plays an elusive role in the universe, especially in its gravitational influence within dwarf galaxies. Despite being invisible,...

  9. Gamma Ray Bursts: Spectacular Explosions from the Distant Past

    April 2, 2024 Lectures

    Speaker: Giovanna Pugliese (API / University of Amsterdam) A gamma-ray burst is the brief, powerful emission of gamma-rays, the highest energy form of light. First observed over 50 years ago, gamma-ray...

  10. The Total Solar Eclipse of April 2024

    March 5, 2024 Lectures

    Speakers: Michael Kirk (NASA Goddard Space Flight Center) and John Maple (Space Telescope Science Institute) On Monday, April 8, 2024, a total solar eclipse will pass over Mexico, the United States,...

  11. A Tapestry of Gravity: LISA and the Future of Gravitational Wave Astronomy

    February 6, 2024 Lectures

    Speaker: Shane L. Larson (Northwestern University) Nearly everything we know about the universe has been discovered using photons - light in all its myriad forms. However, using advanced technology...

  12. The Enigmatic World of Brown Dwarfs: Failed Stars or Errant Planets?

    January 9, 2024 Lectures

    Speaker: Elena Manjavacas (Space Telescope Science Institute) During their formation, brown dwarfs did not manage to accrue enough mass to ignite hydrogen fusion, and hence, they are not stars. In...

  13. Celebrating NASA’s 40-Year Legacy of Infrared Astronomy from Space

    December 5, 2023 Lectures

    Speakers: Robert Hurt (Caltech/IPAC) Since July 2022, the world has been amazed by the incredible fidelity of the Webb Space Telescope's infrared view of the universe. Yet 2023 also marks anniversaries...

  14. Making Astronomy Outreach Accessible

    November 7, 2023 Lectures

    Speakers: Timothy Rhue & Margaret Carruthers (Space Telescope Science Institute) The public outreach team at the Space Telescope Science Institute works to make astronomy exciting, engaging,...

  15. Webb's View of Galaxies Over Time

    October 3, 2023 Lectures

    Speaker: Nimisha Kumari (Space Telescope Science Institute) The Webb Space Telescope is the most powerful observatory ever launched into space. With its unprecedented infrared imaging and spectroscopic...

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