NANTUCKET – The Nantucket Maria Mitchell Association will host a lecture presented by astrophysicist Dr. Rodolfo Montez Jr. on NASA’s Chandra X-ray Observatory this Wednesday, June 19th.
The lecture is part of the MMA’s summer Science Speaker Series and will focus on the Observatory’s contributions to astronomy in its twenty years of operation.
Dr. Montez has worked at the Chandra X-ray Center since 2016 after receiving a PhD from the Rochester Institute of Technology’s Astrophysical Sciences and Technology program.
In the cosmos, X-rays are produced when matter is heated to extreme temperatures and a greater understanding of X-rays is an important aspect of attempting to answer questions about the origins and evolution of the universe.
In 1999 the Chandra X-ray observatory was launched into orbit aboard the Space Shuttle Columbia because telescopes need to be situated in space to view the celestial X-rays.
Since then, the Observatory has imaged the remains of exploded stars, contributed to dark matter and dark energy research, and made discoveries about the formations and effects of black holes.
The event will take place at 33 Washington Street, it is free for Association members and $10 for Non-Members.
The Association will continue its summer Science Speaker Series on Wednesday evenings from 7:00-8:00 p.m. throughout the summer and will feature astronomers, authors, environmentalists, biologists, professors, and doctors.
For more information and a full schedule and description of each speaker, visit Mariamitchell.org.
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