The Origin and Evolution of Galaxies

This lecture is live at the Martz-Kohl Observatory and available online via Zoom. You are encouraged to come to the observatory to meet Mike Stafford and join in our always lively Q&A after his talk. Later, we offer tours and, if the weather cooperates, viewing opportunities through the big telescopes.

The universe is populated by a vast arrangement of large-scale structures consisting of stars and gas and dust called galaxies. Physicist, Mike Stafford, considers events starting “shortly” after the Big Bang and provides the current theory of where these structures came from and how they have changed over time. He will discuss the properties of galaxies and why they have those properties, how the galaxies evolve and how galaxies interact with each other. The talk will be non-mathematical. The physics needed to understand will be explained along the way.

 Mike Stafford, now semi-retired, taught at Penn State University full time and Gannon University as an adjunct for 37 years. His primary interest in physics is classical mechanics. Mike is a licensed airplane pilot with single and multi-engine land certification. He is also a licensed parachute rigger and expert skydiver with 3,700 jumps! Mike says, “as a physicist, interested in everything, I am able to speak on any subject, sometimes coherently.”

A non-member donation of $5.00 for adults and $2.00 for students is appreciated but not required for presentations and events.  You can donate at the observatory or on our donation page. Thanks!

Zoom Meeting

Time: October 18, 2023 7:30 PM Eastern Time

Topic: Mike Stafford
Meeting ID:  811 2460 3712
Passcode:  science

Click the “One Clink Link” shown below. When prompted, click “open zoom.us” in the dialog shown by your browser. If you don’t see a dialog, click the blue “Launch Meeting” in the webpage.

One Click Link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/81124603712?pwd=QnFjNStjWk1sVDNHUDJvNnNQaWJYQT09

Manual dial-in:  +1 646 558 8656
Meeting ID:  811 2460 3712
Passcode:  6961691

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