2009 Podcasts

(December 17, 2009) In this final presentation of the 2009 Mauna Kea Directors’ Lecture Series, Dr. Mike Bolte, director of the University of California Observatories and a professor of astronomy and astrophysics at the University of California, Santa Cruz, will present “400 Years of the Telescope: from Galileo to the Thirty Meter Telescope.” He will discuss the Thirty Meter Telescope project, currently the most powerful telescope ever conceived of, which is designed to further advance our understanding of the cosmos.

(November 23, 2009) In this special lecture for Keck Observatory, “Celebrate the Holidays with the Mysteries of the Cosmos,” Alex Filippenko, professor of astronomy at the University of California at Berkeley, presents his research into the nature of dark energy and how modern observational astronomy is helping to develop a unified theory of forces.  Learn how the Keck telescopes are playing an important role in unraveling some of the greatest mysteries of our time.

(November 19, 2009) In this lecture, Dr. David James, director of the new Hōkū Ke`a telescope and an assistant professor of astronomy at the University of Hawai‘i at Hilo, presents “Using the New 0.9-meter Hōkū Ke`a UHH Telescope to Promote Hawai‘i-based Undergraduate Leadership in Astronomy (HULA).” James presents an overview of plans for the telescope, which will be installed on the site of the old UH 0.6-meter observatory on Mauna Kea.

(October 15, 2009) In this lecture, Dr. Paul Ho, former project scientist for the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory’s Submillimeter Array, presents, “Whispers from the Universe: Studying the Heavens with the Submillimeter Array.” Ho describes how the eight-panel array works probes very low temperature radiation, which characterizes the bulk of the Universe, and how, from these faint signals, astronomers can study the stuff between the stars.

(September 17, 2009) In this lecture, Dr. Masa Hyashi, Director of the Subaru Telescope, presents “A Dialogue about Astronomy and Subaru Discoveries”. Rather than a lecture, Dr. Hayashi will conduct an informal “dialogue,” in which he will discuss a broad range of astronomy questions asked by a member his staff, in the tradition of Galileo’s famous book Dialogue Concerning the Two Chief World Systems.

(August 13, 2009) In this lecture, Dr. Taft Armandroff, Director the W. M. Keck Observatory, presents “The Lifecycle of Discovery at Keck Observatory”. Listen as Dr. Armandroff explains the process of applying for, receiving, and using Keck telescope time to make some of the most outstanding astronomy discoveries of our time.

(July 16, 2009) Dr. Gary Davis, Director of the Joint Astronomy Centre, presents “A Tale of Two Telescopes: Astronomy with Invisible Light.” Dr. Davis discusses observing the stars using infrared and submillimeter wavelengths. He explains why researchers do this type of astronomy, why they came to Mauna Kea to do it, and the significance of astronomy as a valuable approach to understanding our world in a cosmic context.

(April 16, 2009) Dr. Doug Simons, Director of the Frederick C. Gillett Gemini North telescope, presents “From Galileo to Gemini” as the fifth lecture of the 2009 Maunakea Lecture Series. Listen as Dr. Simons takes his audience back 400 years to when Galileo first used two small pieces of glass to observe the heavens. The Gemini North director then describes how those two small pieces of glass have evolved into the powerful instruments atop Mauna Kea that have led to the greatest astronomy discoveries ever made.

(March 26, 2009) Listen as recently named MacArthur Genius Dr. Andrea Ghez of the University of California, Los Angeles presents “Illuminating Black Holes.” Working in the field of high precision infrared imaging and spectroscopy, Dr. Ghez’s research has revealed the existence of a supermassive black hole in the center of our galaxy. In this edition of “Evenings with Astronomers”, learn how Dr. Ghez uses Laser Guide Star Adaptive Optics on the Keck II telescope to sharpen her focus on the unseen mass lying at the center of the Milky Way.

(March 19, 2009) Hear Dr. Alan Tokunaga, director of the NASA Infrared Telescope Facility present “Small Telescopes and Large Telescopes”. This lecture, the fourth in the 2009 Maunakea Lecture Series, explores the development of telescope aperture from Galileo’s time to the present and explains the limits to the growth of this important feature of the telescope.

(March 5, 2009) Dr. Raja Guhathakurta of the University of California, Santa Cruz presents “M31 – The Galaxy Next Door” as part of the 2009 “Evenings with Astronomers” lecture series. Watch as Dr. Raja delves into the nature and evolution of our sister galaxy, M31, and discusses how studying this neighboring spiral helps us to understand the structure and growth of our own Milky Way galaxy. 

(February 26, 2009) Listen as Dr. Christian Veillet executive director of the Canada-France-Hawaii Telescope (CFHT) presents “Astronomy with Aloha”, the second talk in the 2009 Maunakea Lecture Series. Dr. Veillet discusses how humanity has advanced and hindered astronomy through technological development and urban expansion, what the CFHT Observatory has achieved over the past 30 years and how work on the Big Island of Hawaii has contributed to our understanding of the cosmos.

(February 19, 2009) Dr. George Blumenthal, Chancellor of UC Santa Cruz, presents “100 Years of Paradigm Shifts”. Listen now as in this edition of “Evenings with Astronomers” Dr. Blumenthal reviews a century’s worth of thinking about the Universe. He begins with the early 1900s, before there was a self-consistent model for the large-scale Universe, and then touches on scientific greats such Einstein and Hubble and on revolutionary ideas such as the hot big bang model and cold dark matter. Finally, he looks ahead into the 21st century and explains how plenty of room remains for a paradigm shift or two still to come in the ever-expanding Universe.

(February 5, 2009) Dr. Chuck Steidel of the California Institute of Technology is a leader in the field of observational cosmology, the science of understanding the Universe in its totality and humanity’s place in it.  In this edition of “Evenings with Astronomers”, Steidel presents “Galaxy Evolution in the Cosmos” and discusses his state-of-the art research that aims to connect galaxy formation with the development of large-scale structure of the Universe.  Listen now as Steidel describes how he relies on the finite speed of light and uses the Keck telescopes like time machines to study evolution in the largest possible laboratory we can imagine.   

(January 15, 2009) Navigator-in-Residence at the ‘Imiloa Astronomy Center of Hawai’i Chad Kalepa Baybayan presents “Traditional Hawaiian Navigation and Sky Lore”, the first talk in the 2009 Maunakea Lecture Series. Learn how the earliest star-gazers, the Hawaiians, used their powers of observation and knowledge of the movement of the stars, as well as understanding of ocean and environmental conditions, for navigation and wayfinding.

(January 8, 2009) Accomplished author and documentary film maker, Timothy Ferris shares his gift for communicating the aesthetics of astronomical study in both human and cosmic terms. Hear how the University of California, Berkeley emeritus professor’s prose and fascination with the night sky link time, music and the stars in this 2009 winter “Evenings with Astronomers” lecture.