Public Lecture: Supermassive Black Holes

Welcome to 'Discover Our Universe' at KIPAC! This is a series of free, public lectures in astrophysics. The lectures are designed with the general public in mind, and are fun, easy to understand, and engaging.

Black holes are some of the most exotic and extreme objects in the Universe. Though they may sound like the stuff of science fiction, they are real and much more common than you may think; every galaxy has one lurking at its center! In this talk, we will explore exactly what a supermassive black hole is and how we can find them. Dr. Dan Wilkins will share how the latest data from an array of telescopes across the Earth and in space are revealing what is happening to material in its final moments before it plunges through the event horizon. From these observations, we are learning how material falling into supermassive black holes powers some of the most spectacular celestial light shows, so powerful that they have a profound effect on the development of structure in the Universe as we see it today.

Find out more at https://kipac.stanford.edu/discover.