Special Interest Group (SIG) – Wednesday October 1, 2014: COSMOS & Camaraderie

Cosmology, Science 2 Comments »

Wednesday, October 1, @ 6:00 pm – 8:30 pm

NOTE: This group does NOT replace our regularly scheduled 2nd and 4th Wednesday presentation meetings. For more information on SIGs, please check out the SIG link.

This SIG is FREE for all Pre-Paid LES Members! Others are invited to attend for $5 per meeting to help cover the cost of food and drink. All are welcome! (On the menu: Pizza!)

In our fourth COSMOS SIG meeting we’ll learn how astrophysicists determine the make up, the age and the eventual fate of  the stars we see in our night sky. You may be surprised when you learn who developed the method for doing so and how the method at first flew in the face of conventional scientific evidence. But, science must eventually accept carefully gathered evidence, and as the author of what is regarded the the most brilliant PhD thesis ever written written in astronomy wrote, “If you are sure of your facts, you should defend your position.” We’ll hear several legends about the Pleiades, also known as the Seven Sisters. We’ll also hear about the Carina Nebula and Eta Carinae which may go hypernova in our lifetimes!! The Universe wastes nothing – stars to dust and dust to stars – the ultimate reincarnation!!

In the second episode we’ll learn about the life of another genius who transformed our world, a child born into poverty with a speech impediment. After being treated cruelly by a teacher as a small boy because of this impediment,  he never returned to school. But genius combined with hard work and passion can overcome poverty and cruelty as it did in Michael Faraday’s life. His life, work and discoveries started a revolution and changed the course of all our lives. Faraday did something else. He made science accessible to those of us, young and old, who don’t possess his genius. His tradition of doing so has continued since. This episode also points to the importance of partnerships in life and especially in accomplishing major breakthroughs. John Donne wrote, “…No man is an island entire of itself; every man is a piece of the continent, a part of the main…”  The best partnerships are the ones where the weaknesses of one are bolstered by the strengths of the other. Such was the partnership between Michael Faraday and James Clerk Maxwell.

Because each episode stands on its own with different subject matter, it’s not necessary to see all the episodes to follow the series. But, each episode is packed with information and all episodes are beautifully done and entertaining, so attend all if you can.

Note:  The final three COSMOS SIG meetings will take place on Wed., October 1; Wed., October 15; and Wed., October 29 from 6:00 – 8:30 PM.

We’ll have a greeter at the front door till 6:05. After that, late entrants may call the phone number posted on the door for admittance. Hope to see you there!!

For additional information about the COSMOS SIG, please refer to the the August 5th post announcing the SIG.

“The cosmos is all that is, or ever was, or ever will be…”

“…we are all star stuffand on a journey to go back to our origin...”  –  Carl Sagan

Click here for our NEW LOCATION (map and directions)

A calendar of upcoming meeting topics can be found here.