RASC Regular Meeting, March 9, 2026

Posted on

The Stellar Graveyard: Exploring our Galaxy with Radio Eyes

Guest Speaker: Brianna Ball, Department of Physics, University of Alberta

Zeidler Dome, TELUS World of Science Edmonton, 11211 142 St NW Edmonton

7:30 PM (MST), Meeting begins, including guest speaker, AstroImaging Corner, and other RASC news.

FREE and open to the public.

This is a hybrid meeting. You may attend in person or remotely using Zoom. 

Zoom link


JWST image of the Cas A supernova remnant. Image Credit: NASA, ESA, CSA, STScI; D. Milisavljevic (Purdue University), T. Temim (Princeton University), I. De Looze (University of Gent)

 
Many stars end their lives in massive supernova explosions. These explosions leave behind expanding clouds of gas and dust, known as supernova remnants, that can be detected for tens of thousands of years. The supernova remnant population of our own Galaxy is generally thought to be largely under-surveyed and under-studied. Part of the problem is that studying the Milky Way is especially difficult because we happen to be situated inside of it. The high concentration of dust and stars that surround us can obscure our view. Because of this, radio observations are particularly useful for studying our Galaxy, allowing us to probe deeper and see more. In this talk, I will discuss why radio observations are so important for studying the Galactic supernova remnant population and what we are learning from the newest generation of radio telescopes about the Milky Way and its stellar graveyard.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Brianna Ball is a Ph.D. student studying astrophysics at the University of Alberta. Her research focuses on radio observations of Galactic supernova remnants. She previously studied mathematics (U Sask) and education (UBC) before coming to Edmonton to study astronomy. She is passionate about teaching and learning, promoting diversity in STEM fields, and making science more accessible to everyone.

 

 

 

 

 

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