W. M. Keck Observatory’s Cosmic Events series continues Jan. 14 with a virtual discussion on “ultra-faint” galaxies.
Dozens of small galaxies have been discovered orbiting our Milky Way galaxy over the past decade. These “ultra-faint” galaxies are less luminous than any other known galaxy, and are several million times fainter than the Milky Way itself.
Marla Geha, director of Yale Telescope Resources, and a professor in Yale University’s Astronomy Department, will discuss how W. M. Keck Observatory has played a key role in showing that the ultra-faint galaxies are the oldest and most dark matter-dominated galaxies in the known universe. These ultra-faint galaxies are dramatically reshaping our understanding of galaxy formation and may hold the keys to deciphering the nature of dark matter itself.
The Virtual Astronomy Talk gets underway at 5 p.m. and is free and open to the public. It will be live-streamed via Zoom Webinar Connection at https://bit.ly/Keck-Geha or Zoom ID: 928 1916 0762. The talk will also be live-streamed on Facebook.
For more information, visit www.keckobservatory.org.