Recently, astronomers have been able to coordinate observations of multiple “messengers” from the same event, such as merging neutron stars (background) that produced both gamma rays detected by NASA’s Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope (right) and gravitational waves detected by the Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory on Aug. 17, 2017. NASA Goddard’s Dr. Regina Caputo will discuss the burgeoning field of multimessenger astronomy. Credits: NASA/Frank Reddy
The public is invited to a free lecture called ‘Cosmic Explosions and
Cosmic Accelerators: Gamma-rays and Multi-messenger Astronomy,' with Dr.
Regina Caputo, NASA research scientist. The talk will occur in the Pickford Theater,
third floor, Madison Building, 101 Independence Avenue SE, Library of
Congress, Washington, D.C., on Thursday, August 8 from 11:30 a.m. to
12:30 p.m. EDT.
Dr. Caputo works at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt,
Md. on the NASA Fermi Gamma Ray Space Telescope team with data from the
Fermi Large Area Telescope instrument to study. She is interested in
dark matter searches, searches for new physics and all the astrophysics
one must understand before discovering something new. She is also
working on future gamma-ray instruments.
Astronomical processes, such as supernovae or gamma ray bursts, give
off a variety of messenger signals. Astronomers observing these signals
can get different information from different signals, and recently, by
coordinating their observations of multiple messengers from the same
event, they have begun to revolutionize our understanding of the extreme
universe. Dr. Regina Caputo will discuss these jointly observed
messengers and the contribution of the Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope
at the forefront of this new era of astronomy.
She is a speaker in the 2019 NASA Goddard Lectures Series at the
Library of Congress. Earlier talks in the NASA series included the
topics of space weather, improved global water security and
sustainability, how Mars has changed over time, NASA's Hubble Space
Telescope and the upcoming James Webb Space Telescope.
The Library of Congress
maintains one of the largest and most diverse collections of scientific
and technical information in the world. The Library of Congress is the
nation's oldest federal cultural institution and the largest library in
the world and holds nearly 151.8 million items in various languages,
disciplines and formats. The Library serves both Congress and the nation
online and on-site in its reading rooms on Capitol Hill.
For inquiries about this or upcoming talks at the Library of Congress, the public can contact the library’s Science, Technology and Business Division at 202-707-5664. ADA accommodations should be requested five business days in advance at 202-707-6382 (voice/tty) or ada@loc.gov.
The lecture will be later broadcast on the library’s webcast page and YouTube channel “Topics in Science” playlist.
For directions, visit: http://www.loc.gov/visit/maps-and-floor-plans/ or www.loc.gov
For information about Dr. Caputo, visit: https://science.gsfc.nasa.gov/sed/bio/regina.caputo
For NASA’s Fermi website, visit: www.nasa.gov/fermi
Contact:
Rob Gutro
NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Md.
301-286-4044
Robert.j.gutro@nasa.gov
Stephanie Marcus
Library of Congress, Washington
202-707-1192
smar@loc.gov
Editor: Karl Hille
Source: NASA/NASA Goddard
