C. Robert O’Dell, Distinguished Research Professor in the Department of Physics and Astronomy at Vanderbilt, will deliver the lecture “What Blew Up on the Fourth of July in 1054? The Crab Nebula of Course” on Tuesday, April 13, at 7 p.m. at the Vanderbilt Dyer Observatory.
A nebula is an interstellar cloud of dust, hydrogen gas, helium gas and plasma. The Orion Nebula, studied extensively by O’Dell, has revealed much about the process of how stars and planetary systems are formed from collapsing clouds of gas and dust.
“I've worked on the Orion Nebula region on and off for the bulk of my professional life (now 40+ years), although I've been working on planetary nebulae for almost as long,” says O’Dell. “It is still a case that many mornings I can't wait to get in to the office to find out what lies around the next corner.”
The lecture is part of the Stellar Nights program at Dyer. Reservations are required. Cost is $5 per person or $10 per family. Click here to make reservations.
In 1972, O’Dell became NASA’s project scientists for what is now called the Hubble Space Telescope. He spent a large part of the early ideas selling the idea to Congress and to the astronomical community.
“You can't just go to Congress and say, 'It's going to be fun and interesting — trust us,' ” he says, “For a long time I felt like John the Baptist, crying in the wilderness.”
Construction on the Hubble Space Telescope began in 1977, and O’Dell returned to research in 1982 at Rice University before joining the faculty at Vanderbilt in 2000. He continues to earn observation time on the telescope he helped name and launch.
Stellar Nights at Vanderbilt Dyer Observatory are special lectures and programs geared for teens and adults. These events typically feature a speaker followed by a telescope viewing, weather permitting. Stellar Nights are cancelled only in the case of severe weather.
The observatory is located at 1000 Oman Drive, off Granny White Pike between Old Hickory Boulevard and Otter Creek Road, near Radnor Lake. For more information, visit http://www.dyer.vanderbilt.edu/.
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