TALK: Everyone loves pictures of space. But have you ever wondered if that’s what they really look like? Or if the colors are real? For over twenty years professional astronomer Dr. Travis A. Rector has been making color images of space with some of the world’s largest telescopes. In a public talk, Professor Rector will share his stunning images of deep space as well as an insider’s perspective from the people who make them, describing how the images are produced and answering the most common questions the public has about space images. He’ll also share images and stories from his new book, called Coloring the Universe. The talk also marks the opening of a digital exhibit of Professor Rector’s images, to be shown on the IQ Wall in the lobby of the Cyberinfrastructure building. The IQ Wall, with nearly 50 million pixels, displays the images at full resolution.

Bio: Dr. Travis A. Rector is a professor of physics and astronomy at the University of Alaska Anchorage. Dr. Rector has used the giant telescopes at Kitt Peak National Observatory and Gemini Observatory to create color images to share the universe with the public. During that time he has created over 200 images, many of which are in his new book and will be shown in this talk.

This event is part of Themester 2016, an initiative of the IU College of Arts and Sciences.

Cost: Free

For more information contact:

Caty Pilachowski
[email protected]