Imaging Science Seminar: Old (Astronomical) Favorites Seen in New Light: Multiwavelength, Multidimensional Imaging of Planetary Nebulae

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Imaging Science Seminar
Old (Astronomical) Favorites Seen in New Light: Multiwavelength, Multidimensional Imaging of Planetary Nebulae

Dr. Joel Kastner

Professor, Center for Imaging Science/School of Physics and Astronomy
Founding Director of RIT’s Lab for Multiwavelength Astrophysics
Rochester Institute of Technology

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Abstract
:

Planetary nebulae are highly photogenic astronomical objects that inform us about the near-final stages in the lives of stars with initial masses anywhere between roughly one to eight times that of the Sun. Because planetary nebulae are formed from the mass ejected from such stars as they die, these nebulae reveal how elements essential to life, like carbon and nitrogen, make their way from their natal stellar furnaces to planets like our Earth. However, lovely as they are, the myriad shapes of planetary nebulae present a puzzle to astronomers, complicating efforts to understand the underlying physical processes responsible for their formation. I will present an overview of our programs of imaging of planetary nebulae that exploit astronomical observing facilities spanning the spectrum of electromagnetic radiation from the X-ray through radio regimes, encompassing data from NASA’s Chandra X-ray Observatory, Hubble Space Telescope, and James Webb Space Telescope as well as the world’s most powerful mm-wave interferometers. I will describe how we combine these observations to try to gain new insight into the formation, evolution, and compositions of planetary nebulae.

Speaker Bio:
Joel Kastner is a Professor on the faculties of the Center for Imaging Science and School of Physics & Astronomy, both in the College of Science, at the Rochester (NY) Institute of Technology. He was founding Director of RIT's Laboratory for Multiwavelength Astrophysics. Kastner has a B.S. in Physics from the University of Maryland and a Ph.D. in Astronomy from UCLA. Prior to arriving at RIT in 1999, Kastner spent nearly a decade at MIT, first as a postdoc at Haystack Radio Observatory and then as a staff scientist with NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory Science Center. He has authored or co-authored more than 220 refereed papers in the astronomical literature, and has been lead or co-organizer of several dozen topical meetings on astronomy and astronomical imaging. In 2020, he was among the roughly 200 U.S. astronomers named to the inaugural class of (Legacy) Fellows of the American Astronomical Society on the basis of scientific achievement and service to the field. He presently serves on the Users Committee of NASA's James Webb Space Telescope.

Intended Audience:
All are Welcome!

To request an interpreter, please visit myaccess.rit.edu


Contact
Jaclyn McKelvey
Event Snapshot
When and Where
January 29, 2025
2:45 pm - 4:00 pm
Room/Location: 1125 or via Zoom
Who

This is an RIT Only Event

Interpreter Requested?

No

Topics
research