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Free Online Lectures

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

Missed the lecture? View our recordings:

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Past Lectures

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  1. Nancy Grace Roman and the Roman Space Telescope

    June 22, 2023 Lectures

    Speakers: Joan Gordon and Rachael Beaton (Space Telescope Science Institute) In coordination with the science conference "Roman Science Inspired by Emerging JWST Results," two guest speakers...

  2. A Drop in the Light Bucket: How Do We Measure a Galaxy?

    May 2, 2023 Lectures

    Speaker:  Dr. Amanda Pagul (Space Telescope Science Institute) Tracing back to the Hubble Deep Field in the 1990s, galaxy surveys with space telescopes have become a fundamental part of cosmological...

  3. Exploring Rocky Worlds: On the Precipice of a New Frontier

    April 4, 2023 Lectures

    Speaker: Katherine Bennett (Johns Hopkins University) The simple, significant question, "Do other planets like Earth exist?" has slowly pushed from science fiction speculation into serious...

  4. Active Galaxies: Monsters of the Deep (Space)

    March 7, 2023 Lectures

    Speaker: Travis Fischer (Space Telescope Science Institute) Active galaxies are some of the most fascinating objects in the universe. They emit copious amounts of energy, often exceeding the energy...

  5. Supermassive Black Holes in the Center of Galaxies

    February 7, 2023 Lectures

    Speaker: Darshan Kakkad (Space Telescope Science Institute) Most galaxies have a supermassive black hole at their center, including our Milky Way. Despite being surrounded by a galaxy that is 1,000...

  6. The Art & Science of Webb Imagery

    January 17, 2023 Lectures

    Speakers: Alyssa Pagan and Joseph DePasquale (Space Telescope Science Institute) The amazing visions from the Webb Space Telescope have captivated the world. But a lot of work goes into creating...

  7. Surprising Supercharged Science with Swift

    December 6, 2022 Lectures

    Speaker: Steve Kerby (Penn State University) The Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory was originally designed to study gamma-ray bursts, but now does many types of multi-wavelength astronomy. Though lesser-known...

  8. Black Holes: How Do We See That Which Gives Off No Light?

    November 1, 2022 Lectures

    Speaker: Stephanie La Massa (Space Telescope Science Institute) Black holes are the most enigmatic objects in the universe, objects so dense that not even light can escape from them. However, observational...

  9. The Universe of Dante Alighieri

    October 4, 2022 Lectures

    Speaker: Sperello di Serego Alighieri “The Divine Comedy” by Dante Alighieri is the story of a journey through the universe—a sort of ante litteram science fiction book, written...

  10. First Light: Hunting for Galaxies at the Dawn of Cosmic Time

    September 6, 2022 Lectures

    Speaker: Guido Roberts-Borsani (UCLA) The emergence of the first galaxies some 13.5 billion years ago had a profound effect on the state of the universe. It marks the end of the so-called Dark Ages...

  11. Webb's First Look: Images and Spectra from NASA's Newest Great Observatory

    August 2, 2022 Lectures

    Speaker: Alexandra Lockwood (Space Telescope Science Institute) The Webb Space Telescope has recently showcased its spectacular first images and is now ready to do incredible science! It has been...

  12. How Yavin IV and Orbital Mechanics Destroyed the Death Star

    July 5, 2022 Lectures

    Speaker: Mia Bovill (Texas Christian University) At the end of “Star Wars: Episode IV,” the Death Star orbits the moon Yavin IV while seeking to target the rebel base on its surface....

  13. Understanding the Formation and Evolution of Galaxies

    June 7, 2022 Lectures

    Speaker: Cameron Hummels (Caltech) Galaxies—like our own Milky Way—are among the basic building blocks of our universe. Discovered only one hundred years ago, galaxies are complex systems...

  14. Eta Carinae and the Homunculus Nebula in 3D

    May 3, 2022 Lectures

    Speaker: Frank Summers (Space Telescope Science Institute) Eta Carinae is the closest, best known, and most studied of the stars known as "supernova impostors". After surviving a supernova-like...

  15. Neutrino Astronomy: A New Window into the Extreme Universe

    April 5, 2022 Lectures

    Speaker: Marcos Santander (University of Alabama) Located under a mile of glacial ice near the South Pole is IceCube, the largest neutrino telescope in the world. IceCube detects high-energy neutrinos,...