February 2010

February 5: Monthly Meeting

Astronomy & Technology: Partners in Discovery

Alan Hirshfeld

This month’s speaker will be Alan Hirshfeld. He is Professor of Physics at the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth and an Associate of the Harvard College Observatory. Prof. Hirshfeld’s topic will be: Astronomy & Technology: Partners in Discovery From the first night Galileo turned his telescope skyward, technology has fostered astronomical discovery. During the 19th and early 20th centuries, advances in telescope design and the improvement of photography and spectroscopy helped propel astronomy into the modern age. Today, gigantic telescopes are outfitted with shape-shifting reflectors, ultra-sensitive light detectors, fast computers, and powerful lasers to extract from these instruments every possible degree of optical performance. Even more advanced telescopes are on the drawing board.

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• Alan W. Hirshfeld