Explore the nature of Dark Matter and Dark Energy this weekend at the Los Alamos Nature Center’s planetarium. Galen Gisler will give a talk on Friday, Feb. 8 at 7 p.m. about the nature of these phenomena and the full-dome film “Dark Mater Mystery” will play on Saturday, Feb. 9 at 2 p.m. Photo Courtesy PEEC
PEEC NEWS
Unearth the mysteries of Dark Matter and Dark Energy this weekend at the Los Alamos Nature Center’s planetarium. On Friday, Feb. 8 at 7 p.m., Galen Gisler will give a talk called “The Dark Side of the Universe” that will explore these phenomena. The following day, the nature center will show the full-dome film “Dark Matter Mystery” to dive further into this fascinating subject.
Astrophysicists and cosmologists attempt to understand the universe by studying the radiation that comes to us from outer space. Visible, ultraviolet and infrared light; radio waves; x-rays; gamma rays; cosmic rays; neutrinos and gravitational waves all give us clues about the nature, structure and past history of our cosmos. These clues hint at constituents or forces that we cannot directly measure, which we have given the names Dark Matter and Dark Energy.
Galen Gisler will review the evidence for these mysterious entities and discuss research about their nature. Gisler is an astrophysicist who had a 25-year career at Los Alamos National Laboratory. He has been involved in a variety of activities at the Lab, including particle beams, extragalactic jets, plasmas, astronomical transients and more. Although semi-retired, he works as an Associate at LANL on ways of defending the Earth against asteroid impacts.
The nature center is showing the full-dome film “Dark Matter Mystery” on Saturday, Feb. 9 at 2 p.m. This planetarium film explores the evidence for dark matter and the experiments currently being conducted to try to detect dark matter and what it might be composed of. Learn more about the fascinating mysteries of dark matter at Friday night’s talk, the film or both!
Seating is limited for this talk and movie, so please call the nature center at 505-662-0460 or stop by to reserve tickets. Admission for both events is $6 for adults and $4 for kids. Events in the planetarium are not recommended for kids under age 4.
For more information about this and other PEEC programs, visit www.peecnature.org, email programs@peecnature.org or call (505) 662-0460.
PEEC was founded in 2000 to serve the community of Los Alamos. It offers people of all ages a way to enrich their lives by strengthening their connections to our canyons, mesas, mountains, and skies. PEEC operates the Los Alamos Nature Center at 2600 Canyon Road, holds regular programs and events, and hosts a number of interest groups from birding to hiking to butterfly watching. PEEC activities are open to everyone; however, members receive exclusive benefits such as discounts on programs and merchandise. Annual memberships start at $35. To learn more, visit www.peecnature.org.