The South Pole Telescope Blog

Chicago Tonight, April 23 7-9pm, The Map Room
Brad Benson presents at Cafe Scientifique Details

Santa Barbara April 26 7:30pm, Gladwin Planetarium
John Carlstrom presents the Annual Las Cumbres Observatory Public Lecture
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Washington D.C. April 28-29, Walter E. Washington Convention Center.
SPT team members present at the USA Science and Engineering Festival. Details

Friday, April 20, 2012
7:00 - 8:00 p.m.
Location: The Adler Planetarium, Universe Theater (Chicago, IL)
Presented by Dr. John Carlstrom


We are in the middle of a revolution in our understanding of the Universe. We can finally begin to answer questions such as "How old is the Universe? How did it start? What is the Universe made of? Cosmologists at the University of Chicago have been searching for answers to these questions in one of the most forbidding places on Earth: the high Antartica plateau.
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Come talk with Dr. Brad Benson at Café Scientifique!

The Ends of the Earth & the Beginning of the Universe:
The Big Bang, Dark Energy & the South Pole

Presenter: Brad Benson
Time & Date: 7-9 PM
Monday April 23, 2012
Location: The Map Room
1949 N. Hoyne, Chicago, IL
(Limited to first 50 Attendees)

One hundred years ago humans first arrived at South Pole and for the past 20 or so years scientists have traveled there to build telescopes to study the early Universe. These experiments measure light left over from the Big Bang, the cosmic microwave background (CMB). They provide a unique snapshot of the infant Universe at a time when it was only ~400,000 years old, or 0.003% of its current age. These measurements and other evidence tell us that the Universe began with a Big Bang about 14 billion years ago, and that it contains only 4 percent "ordinary" matter (e.g., stars and galaxies, you and me, etc.). The rest of the Universe consists of two mysterious dark components: Dark Matter and Dark Energy. We will discuss evidence for the Big Bang, Dark Matter, and Dark Energy; the latest results from the South Pole, and what its like to work at the bottom of the world.


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We are very excited to be taking part in the 2nd USA Science & Engineering Festival in Washington DC April 28-29.
The event is free and held at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center. We've partnered with Bo Rodda's class at the School of the Art Institute in Chicago to meld science and creativity into an exhibit that we hope you'll enjoy.
SPT scientists will be on hand to answer all of your questions about SPT and the science we explore. Hope to see you there!

Read more about the SPT exhibit: 100 Years of Exploration @ South Pole: From Survival to Science
here, and check out the festival on Facebook.

Read More Here