taste of science partners with Astronomy on Tap in this journey into the universe, from ancient earth and exoplanets to black holes and cosmic collisions

DNA Lounge

One of San Francisco's most popular nightclubs for over thirty years, hosting an always-eclectic variety of events, including all-ages live music, 18+ dance parties, burlesque shows, lecture series and private parties. Two stages, four dance floors, seven bars and a full-service 24/7 restaurant and cafe!

Colliding Neutron Stars: Gravitational Waves, Gold, and a Gamma-Ray Burst

Alex Filippenko

Professor of Astronomy at UC, Berkeley

Albert Einstein's General Theory of Relativity predicts the existence of ripples in the fabric of space-time. In the past few years, such gravitational waves have been detected from several pairs of merging black holes. And on October 16, 2017, astronomers announced the detection of a merging pair of neutron stars with both gravitational waves and electromagnetic waves (light)! This cosmic collision produced a gamma-ray burst, gold and other precious metals, and probably a black hole.

Earth waaay before the dinosaurs and how to search for alien life

Sanjoy Som

Research scientist at the 'Blue Marble Space Institute of Science' and works at the NASA Ames Research Center

I will discuss why and how exploring the very ancient earth is important in our quest to find life beyond Earth. This presentation will be a medley of astronomy and geology.

Exoplanets: Worlds Outside our Solar System

Megan Shabram

NASA Postdoctoral Program Fellow at NASA Ames Research Center

Most of the planets found by Nasa's Kepler space science mission aren’t anything like the planets in our solar system. With a closer look at populations of planets from the Kepler mission, we are beginning to put the solar system into context and to start to zoom in on the best opportunities for the future exploration of life in the universe.