von Kármán Lecture - Darkness Surrounds Us: The Other 95% of the Universe

Series: Theodore von Kármán Lecture Series

Alina Kiessling, Astrophysicist, JPL,

Jason Rhodes, Astrophysicist, JPL,

All the material we can see is just a small fraction of the universe. The rest, a full 95 percent, is invisible and mysterious. These are the enigmatic dark matter and dark energy.

While dark matter keeps things like galaxies together, dark energy acts in an opposite way – it pushes groups of galaxies apart and expands the universe itself.

This event will discuss how astronomers are working to map the universe's dark matter so they can see the effects of dark energy. The results could help us understand if the universe will expand at an accelerating rate forever.

This is a free event; no tickets or reservations are required.

About the Series

The Theodore von Kármán Lecture Series, named after JPL's founder, and presented by JPL's Office of Communication and Education, brings the excitement of the space program's missions, instruments and other technologies to both JPL employees and the local community. Lectures take place twice per month, on consecutive Thursdays and Fridays. The Thursday lectures take place in JPL's Theodore von Kármán Auditorium and are streamed live via Ustream, and Friday lectures take place at Caltech. Both start at 7:00 p.m. Admission and parking are free for all lectures. No reservations are required, but seating is limited. Caltech manages JPL for NASA.

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Event Sponsors:

Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) - More events from this Sponsor

For more information, please contact the Caltech Ticket Office by phone at 626-395-4652 or by email at events@caltech.edu or visit JPL's lecture page.