NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama, invites media and the public to hear from some of the first scientists to detect light and gravitational waves — ripples in space-time — caused by colliding neutron stars.
The University of Alabama in Huntsville will host a free science discussion, “Multi-messenger Astronomy: A New Era in Space Science,” at 3:30 p.m. CST Monday, Nov. 20, in Room 112 of the Student Services Building at 301 Sparkman Drive.
Astronomers will share the story and science behind the violent stellar smashup and how a small team of Alabama scientists helped alert the global science community that something extraordinary was happening. Speakers and panelists will be:
- Julie McEnery, project scientist for the Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center
- Tyson Littenberg, astrophysicist at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center and member of the LIGO Science Collaboration
- Colleen Wilson-Hodge, principal investigator for the Fermi Gamma-ray Burst Monitor at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center
- Wen-fai Fong, assistant professor of physics and astronomy at Northwestern University
- Adam Goldstein, astrophysicist from the Universities Space Research Association at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center
- Peter Veres, postdoctoral fellow at The University of Alabama in Huntsville
- Rachel Hamburg, graduate research assistant at The University of Alabama in Huntsville
Before the discussion, media will be invited to conduct one-on-one interviews with participants beginning at 3 p.m. in Room 114 of the Student Services Building.
Media interested in attending the discussion should contact Molly Porter by noon on Monday, Nov. 20, at molly.a.porter@nasa.gov or 256-544-2771.
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For information about NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center, visit:
Molly Porter
Marshall Space Flight Center, Huntsville, Ala.
256-544-2771
molly.a.porter@nasa.gov