Using the Webb Telescope to Pull the Curtain from Dusty Galaxies

The James Webb Space Telescope's ability to probe galaxies at infrared wavelengths in great detail has led to an unprecedented view of ultraluminous infrared galaxies (ULIRGs). ULIRGs are the brightest objects in the nearby universe, glowing with the light of hundreds of trillions of stars. This extreme brightness is caused by the mergers of Milky Way-sized galaxies that produce an intense burst of star formation and black hole growth. Jeff Rich will discuss the discoveries that the Webb Telescope observations of ULIRGs have yielded, and how these will lead to a new understanding of supermassive black holes, massive star clusters, and changes in the interstellar medium.

Program:

6:30 p.m. Doors open
7 p.m. Brief musical performance
7:30 p.m. Lecture begins

About the Speaker:

Jeff Rich is an astronomer at the Carnegie Science Observatories, as well as the Observatories’ outreach and education coordinator. His research focuses on observations of nearby galaxy mergers to understand how galaxies evolve throughout cosmic time. Rich received his undergraduate degree at the University of Southern California, and his M.S. and Ph.D. degrees at the University of Hawai'i.

Webb’s Near-Infrared Camera (NIRCam) displays the Tarantula Nebula star-forming region in a new light, including tens of thousands of never-before-seen young stars that were previously shrouded in cosmic dust | NASA, ESA, CSA, STScI, Webb ERO Production Team

Carnegie Observatories presents the 22nd season of talks highlighting the most exciting discoveries in today’s golden age of astronomy. Carnegie Science Observatories scientists have transformed humankind’s understanding of the Cosmos, from the revelation of the Universe’s expansion to the discovery of dark energy—and the groundbreaking work continues today. Carnegie scientists are still at the vanguard of astronomical research at the world-famous Las Campanas Observatory in Chile, home of the twin 6.5m Magellan telescopes and future site of the 24m Giant Magellan Telescope.