Understanding the Unseen Universe
Understanding the Unseen Universe
Part 2 of the 2019 UA College of Science Lecture Series "Searching for Certainty"
Lecturer: Feryal Ozel, Professor, Astronomy and Astrophysics, University of Arizona
Although astronomy is described as an observational science, throughout time, it has constantly grappled with the unseen. As we have built bigger and more powerful telescopes, larger computers, and better mathematical tools to understand the Universe, we have reached its further corners and discovered a diverse range of objects and phenomena. At the same time, with these discoveries, we have been asked to come to terms with dark energy, dark matter, black holes, Big Bang, and perhaps even a Planet Nine, none of which are directly observable today. How does astronomy address, and perhaps plan to overcome, this core tension? The paradigm will continue to evolve as new evidence comes into light.
