Lecture series at YSU planetarium

Staff report

YOUNGSTOWN

A series of free lectures will begin this week at the Ward Beecher Planetarium at Youngstown State University. Here is the schedule:

Friday, 8 p.m.: Darren Williams, astronomy professor at Penn State Behrend, will talk about exoplanet detection and what other possible civilizations are learning about us.

March 17, 8 p.m.: Jason Kalirai of the Space Telescope Science Institute attempts to answer the question, “Are we Alone?”

April 21, 8 p.m.: The center of every large galaxy hosts a supermassive black hole. When they grow, they can spit out as much stuff as they swallow in giant jets and fast winds. Sarah Gallagher of Western University (London, Canada) will introduce these eruptors and discuss their role in shaping the galaxies they inhabit.

May 5, 8 p.m.: In the 1960s, any astronomer could tell you, in detail, what the universe was made of. Today, thanks to 50 years of progress, no one can. Robin Ciardullo of Penn State University will discuss what we know about the mystery that is dark matter and the baffling quantity that is generally called dark energy. He also will give hints as to what we might learn about the invisible universe in the near future.