Abstract:  The Milky Way, our home galaxy, and the Triangulum Galaxy, one of our near neighbors, took billions of years to become the galaxies we see today. In that time, they experienced violent mergers and bursts of star formation. While we can’t look back in time to trace their exact histories, these events leave clues in the current structure of the galaxies that help us piece together their past. Studying these galaxies in detail also gives insight into what happened in the galactic neighborhood: the so-called “Local Group” of galaxies. In this talk, we discuss how we can use a galaxy’s structure to understand its evolution. Galactic archaeologists Kevin McKinnon (UCSC) and Amanda Quirk (UCSC) will present cutting edge observations of the Milky Way and Triangulum Galaxy that have shaped our understanding of the Local Group.

Abstract:  Since the 1990s, astronomers have discovered thousands of planets orbiting other stars in our galaxy, but most of these “exoplanets” are known only by their tell-tale effects on their sun’s light. A precious handful of these alien worlds, however, have been photographed using state-of-the-art equipment attached to the world’s largest telescopes, giving astronomers a new window into these planets’ atmospheres and origins. UCSC Professors Rebecca Jensen-Clem and Philip Hinz will discuss the remarkable technologies allowing astronomers to “see” other worlds – and, to study the supermassive black hole at our galaxy’s center.