Physics Seminar
Physics Seminar
The Physics Department is pleased to announce a new series of public astronomy talks, held in conjunction with open houses at the UMass Dartmouth Hirshfeld-Dowd Observatory. Each short, 20-minute talk will be accessible to all audiences and will explore a wide range of engaging topics in astronomy and astrophysics. Weather permitting, public telescope observing at the observatory will immediately follow the talks.
Title: Black Holes: Cosmic Laboratories of Extreme Physics
Speaker: Zach Pereira, MS Student
Date: Tuesday, April 7, 2026
Time: 7:00 pm
Location: DION 114
Abstract:
Black holes are some of the most fascinating objects in the universe, not only because of their mystery, but also because they serve as natural laboratories for testing physics under the most extreme conditions. In this public talk, I will introduce how black holes form and what makes their behavior so unusual, from intense gravity to the strange effects predicted by relativity. I will then explore how astronomers actually study black holes, highlighting the observations and measurements that make them more than just theoretical curiosities. These include images from the Event Horizon Telescope, X-ray emission from accretion disks and binary systems, and gravitational waves produced when black holes collide. By the end, the audience will see black holes not just as exotic cosmic monsters, but as powerful tools for understanding the universe itself.
NOTE: All PHY Graduate Students are ENCOURAGED to attend.
All interested parties are invited to attend. Open to the public.
DION 114