Ancient remnants from the early universe surround our galaxy, which you may know as globular clusters. Although now on their old age, understanding how these clusters were formed has the potential to provide insight into the physical conditions that prevailed during an epoch that cannot be directly observed. We now know that globular clusters can form during extreme episodes of star formation in the relatively nearby universe, but the actual physical conditions that give rise to globular clusters have vexed both observers and theorists for decades. With the new capabilities of JWST along with the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) we are uncovering new clues about the environments in which these extreme clusters form. This talk will give an overview of progress that has been made in understanding globular clusters, and highlight the importance of using chemistry to understand physical conditions in space.

Speaker: Kelsey Johnson (University of Virginia, Caroline Herschel Visitor)

All 2024 Spring Colloquium talks are held on Wednesdays at 3:00 PM. This colloquium is hosted by STScI and will be held as an in-person and virtual event.

You may join in person at STScI’s John N. Bahcall Auditorium or virtually on STScI's Live Science Events Facebook page.

Please direct questions or comments to contact above. The 2024 Spring Colloquium Committee members are: Joel Green (STScI), Matilde Mingozzi (STScI), Nashwan Sabti (JHU), Kevin Schlaufman (JHU), Ethan Vishniac (JHU), John Wu (STScI).