Solar astronomer Dr. Han Uitenbroek of the National Solar Observatory will present a lecture titled, "Too Cool: Mysteries of the Sun's COmosphere," Tuesday, Dec. 21, at 7 p.m. in the LodeStar Astronomy Center planetarium theater. LodeStar is located in the Museum of Natural History at 1801 Mountain Road N.W., Old Town Albuquerque.
Admission is $6 adults, $5 seniors (age 60+), $3 children (ages 3 to 12). The talk is part of the "Voices in Science" lecture series co-presented by LodeStar and the New Mexico Museum of Natural History & Science.
Uitenbroek will discuss a surprising discovery in solar astronomy -- the abundance of carbon monoxide (CO) in the Sun's atmosphere.
The unexpectedly large quantities of CO in the otherwise hot middle layer of
the solar atmosphere--the "chromosphere"--suggest that the layer is
significantly colder than previously thought. Uitenbroek will explain the
implications of what solar scientists now jokingly call the "COmosphere."
Before joining the staff at the National Solar Observatory in Sunspot, Uitenbroek worked as an astrophysicist at the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and as a research assistant at the University of Utrecht in The Netherlands.
For information call 505-841-5972 or visit LodeStar Astronomy Center.
Contact: Contact: Karen Keese, (505) 841-5972 or (505) 261-0040
Posted by scarr at December 7, 2004 03:49 PM