Title:
Webb, Roman and HabWorlds – Space Telescopes at the Astronomical Frontier
Synopsis:
Join us for an evening with Dr. Gregory Wirth of BAE Systems on the remarkable technologies behind NASA’s current and future space telescopes. Learn how the pending Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope promises to change our ideas about dark matter and dark energy with a camera 100 times more powerful than those on Hubble and Webb. Get a glimpse into the future with NASA’s ambitious Habitable Worlds Observatory, designed to identify and study Earth-like exoplanets using cutting-edge optics technology. And learn what new astronomical discoveries NASA’s new James Webb Space Telescope is delivering with its astonishingly sharp infrared images of the universe. This accessible talk is geared to all with an interest in astronomy.
Bio:
Dr. Gregory D. Wirth is an astronomer and Principal Systems Engineer at BAE Systems Space & Mission Systems in Boulder, Colorado.
He specializes in space-based astrophysics instrumentation and has contributed to major NASA missions, including helping commission the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST). His work builds on BAE Systems’ (formerly Ball Aerospace) legacy in flagship observatories such as Hubble, Spitzer, and Chandra.
He earned a Ph.D. in Astronomy & Astrophysics from the University of California, Santa Cruz, with thesis research using early Hubble Space Telescope data. He previously spent 16 years as a support astronomer at the W. M. Keck Observatory in Hawaii.
Location:
The meeting will be at 7pm in the First Evangelical Lutheran Church, 803 Third Avenue, Longmont, CO 80501.
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