Due to the threat of inclement weather conditions on Wednesday, January 29, this event has been cancelled.

Speaker: Dr. Heidi B. Hammel, Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy (AURA)

Title: Hubble Space Telescope: top ten hits and what comes next

When: 7:00 PM, Wednesday, 29 January 2014

Where: Virginia Living Museum Abbitt Planetarium (524 J Clyde Morris Blvd, Newport News, VA 23601)

Abstract:

The Hubble Space Telescope has revolutionized astronomy in the past quarter century. Dr. Hammel has had a front-row seat as one of the lead astronomers using Hubble for planetary studies. In this public lecture suitable for all ages, she will show many of the iconic images produced by Hubble, and share the major scientific advances it has enabled. She will also give the audience a behind-the-scenes sneak peak at Hubble's successor, the James Webb Space Telescope, for which she is one of just six Interdisciplinary Scientists. Set to launch in 2018, Webb will reach even further into the Universe than Hubble, and open a new chapter of deep space exploration.

About the Speaker: Dr. Hammel is the Executive Vice President of AURA, who oversees organizations such as the Space Telescope Science Institute (who runs the Hubble Space Telescope and the James Webb Space Telescope), National Optical Astronomy Observatory, National Solar Astronomy, Gemini Observatory and other LARGE observatories. See this Wikipedia article to read more about her.