Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory's (LLNL's) popular outreach series, "Science on Saturday," will continue its programming in 2025 with the theme "Up in the Air" at the Grand Theatre Center for the Arts in Tracy, California. Designed to engage middle- and high-school students, the event will take place on Saturday, March 22, starting at 10 a.m. and lasting for one hour.
Featured lecture: "Space Telescopes: Observing the X-ray Universe"
Presented by:
- LLNL scientists Megan Eckart and Natalie Hell
- Retired San Ramon Valley Unified School District Teacher Stan Hitomi
This lecture will take you on a journey into the depths of space. The universe is like a giant science lab, where the mysteries of cosmic origins and physical phenomena, such as general relativity, can be uncovered. One of the primary ways scientists do this is by studying light from distant stars and galaxies. However, they don't study just any light - the team uses X-ray light. This high-energy light allows them to peer into the hottest and most extreme environments, such as those swirling around black holes. In this talk, the speakers will highlight space-based X-ray observatories, including the X-ray Imaging and Spectroscopy Mission (XRISM), their design, and how they help unlock the secrets of the universe.
Science on Saturday is sponsored by LLNL's Science Education Program. The presentations are free to attend, and admission is on a first-come, first-served basis.
The lecture series will be available to view at a later date on the LLNL YouTube Channel and the University of California Television Network.
