Astronomy on Tap Leiden: Zoom out and see the universe

We are very excited for our next event, which will take place on Monday, January 19th at Culture Café Leidse Lente at 20:00 CET!

This month, we will be zooming out to look at the universe at the largest scales! Our speakers will take us through the latest developments in cosmology. Matthieu Schaller will share how astronomers use computers to visualize the cosmos, and Alessandra Silvestri will talk about the mysterious force that is fueling the expansion of the universe: dark energy.

As always, there will be fun games with which you can test your knowledge and try to win cool science prizes!

Matthieu Schaller: “Simulating the Universe and its evolution”

Matthieu Schaller is an assistant professor at Leiden University, where his research focuses on the development of numerical tools to simulate the evolution of galaxies and the Universe. In his talk, he will describe how astronomers use computer models that include the equations of physics to create a realistic virtual twin of the Universe. He will show what this means, how big computers are used, and some simulated parts of the Universe.

Alessandra Silvestri : “Has Dark Energy gotten even weirder?”

Alessandra is a Professor of Theoretical Physics at Leiden University, where her research explores the fundamental laws that shape our universe. Her work aims to better understand dark energy, gravity, and the cosmic evolution of space and time. Her talk will focus on the force that is driving the acceleration of the Universe’s expansion. For almost three decades, astronomers have known that the expansion of the Universe is speeding up. A simple idea called the cosmological constant seemed to explain it — at least for a while. Her talk will dive into new clues which suggest there may be deeper physics behind this cosmic acceleration than we once imagined.

Logistical information: We start at 20:00 sharp, so please arrive earlier to enter the venue, save a seat, and grab a drink at the bar. We will be uploading a recording of the talks on our YouTube channel after the event.

Join us for an evening of astronomy and fun games where you can win cool science prizes! All ages and backgrounds are welcome!

For more information check out http://astronomyontap.nl/