Kip Thorne [Photo credit: Society for Science]
Nobel Prize-winning physicist Kip Thorne, the Richard P. Feynman Professor of Theoretical Physics, Emeritus, at the California Institute of Technology (Caltech), will present a free public lecture entitled “An Odyssey Through the Warped Side of the Universe” on Friday, July 12, 2024, at 8:00 p.m. in Beckman Auditorium. The event marks the 100th Stargazing Lecture, a series of public talks followed by guided stargazing and a Q&A panel, hosted by Caltech Astronomy Outreach.
Born in Logan, Utah, Thorne earned his bachelor’s degree from Caltech in 1962 and his master’s and doctoral degrees from Princeton University in 1963 and 1965, respectively. He returned to Caltech as a postdoctoral researcher in 1966, beginning a long and illustrious career at the institution.
In his talk, Thorne will explore the fascinating phenomena that arise from warped spacetime, drawing from his sixty-odd years of experience in astrophysics. “In this lecture, I will describe some of what we have learned,” Thorne said in a statement. “For example: weird facets of black holes that you may not have not heard of before. And also likely new to you: Voracious, ‘vacuum fluctuations’ — tiny bits of everything that ever could inhabit our universe, flashing in and out of existence, randomly.”
Thorne, who co-authored the influential textbook “Gravitation” and played a pivotal role in the development of the Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory (LIGO), was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics in 2017 for his contributions to the observation of gravitational waves. His popular science book, “Black Holes and Time Warps: Einstein’s Outrageous Legacy,” has brought complex concepts in physics to a broader audience.
The event, which is free and open to the public, will begin with Thorne’s 45-minute lecture from 8:00 p.m.–8:45 p.m., followed by a panel Q&A and guided stargazing with telescopes adjacent to Beckman Auditorium from 8:45 p.m.–9:45 p.m., weather permitting. The lecture and Q&A will be live-streamed on YouTube for remote viewers at https://youtube.com/live/
This special event celebrating the 100th Stargazing Lecture will be hosted at the Beckman Auditorium instead of the typical location in the Cahill Center for Astronomy and Astrophysics. Stargazing Lectures typically feature 30-minute lectures followed by 60 minutes of stargazing and panel Q&A.
To attend in person, registration is required through the Caltech Public Events website. For more information, contact Cameron Hummels at chummels@caltech.edu or visit the Caltech Astronomy Outreach website at http://outreach.astro.caltech.
