Public Lecture & Stargazing: "The Universal Timekeepers: Reconstructing History Atom by Atom" with Prof. David Helfand (February 2)

[Columbia Astronomy Public Outreach]

Hi everyone,

Happy new year! With our Spring semester now in full gear, we're bringing back our biweekly public astronomy events -- starting on February 2!

Join us in Pupin Hall 301 next Friday, February 2, at 6pm to hear from Columbia Astronomy Professor David Helfand, who will be telling us about "The Universal Timekeepers: Reconstructing History Atom by Atom" (based on his new book of the same name!):

"By utilizing the basic building blocks of matter as imperturbable little clocks, we are now able to reconstruct in quantitative detail a remarkable range of human and natural events. From detecting art forgeries to dating archeological sites, and from laying out a detailed history of human diet and the Earth's climate to revealing the events surrounding the origin of life, of the Solar System and of the Universe itself, atoms provide us with a precise chronology from the beginning of time to the moment humans emerge to contemplate such questions."

We'll start the evening at 6pm with some astronomy trivia, followed by Prof. Helfand's talk and Q&A. From 7:10-8:10pm, we will be outside stargazing on College Walk (weather permitting). 

The main event will take place in Pupin Hall 301. Signs will be posted to direct you to the lecture hall, and general directions to Columbia and Pupin Hall can be found here. Outdoor observing/stargazing will take place on College Walk, the portion of 116th street crossing through Columbia's main campus; we will walk down to College Walk as a group following the lecture and Q&A. Telescopes and binoculars will be provided by Columbia Astronomy (but you are absolutely welcome to bring your own observing equipment).

This event is free and open to all -- stay only as long as you want. If you plan to attend this event, please fill out the RSVP form at tinyurl.com/columbia-astro-feb2.

Looking forward to seeing you in Pupin Hall next week!

Very best,

Columbia Astronomy Public Outreach

[Columbia Astronomy Public Outreach]

Hi all,

A quick reminder that we'll be holding our first public lecture night of the Spring semester this Friday, February 2, at 6pm! Columbia Astronomy's Professor David Helfand will be telling us about "The Universal Timekeepers: Reconstructing History Atom by Atom." Please see the email below for more details! 

If you're interested in attending on Friday, please RSVP using this form. 

See you on Friday!

Columbia Astronomy Public Outreach 

[Columbia Astronomy Public Outreach]

Hi everyone,

Due to demonstrations around campus scheduled for this afternoon, we believe it would be safest to postpone this event to next Friday, February 9, at the same time and location (Pupin Hall 301 at 6pm). We sincerely apologize for any inconvenience this may cause.

In other news, it's looking like we're going to have some clear skies over the next few nights! Since we haven't been able to do public stargazing in a while, we're thinking of setting up telescopes on College Walk during one of these clear nights (possibly Monday). Stay tuned for more information! 

We hope to see you next week!

Very best,

Columbia Astronomy Public Outreach

[Columbia Astronomy Public Outreach]

Hi everyone,

A reminder that our public astronomy night with Prof. David Helfand -- which was initially scheduled for February 2 -- is now scheduled for this Friday, February 9, starting at 6pm in Pupin Hall 301! Prof. Helfand will be talking to us about "The Universal Timekeepers: Reconstructing History Atom by Atom":

"By utilizing the basic building blocks of matter as imperturbable little clocks, we are now able to reconstruct in quantitative detail a remarkable range of human and natural events. From detecting art forgeries to dating archeological sites, and from laying out a detailed history of human diet and the Earth's climate to revealing the events surrounding the origin of life, of the Solar System and of the Universe itself, atoms provide us with a precise chronology from the beginning of time to the moment humans emerge to contemplate such questions."

If you plan to attend on Friday, please RSVP at tinyurl.com/columbia-astro-feb2 (note that this is the same RSVP form as last week -- if you RSVP'd before the event was postponed, you do not need to RSVP again).

We look forward to seeing you in Pupin on Friday!

Very best,

Columbia Astronomy Public Outreach

[Columbia Astronomy Public Outreach]

Hi everyone,

A reminder that our public astronomy night with Prof. David Helfand is tonight, starting at 6pm in Pupin Hall 301; see the emails below for more info. Current forecasts show little cloud cover for tonight, so here's hoping we have a clear night for stargazing!

Hope to see many of you in Pupin Hall tonight!

Very best,

Columbia Astronomy Public Outreach

[Columbia Astronomy Public Outreach]

Happening now! We're live-streaming on our YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1MybdwS1QBY.