Film & Animation

100 Ways to “Die” in the Universe

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100 Ways to “Die” in the Universe
Katey Alatalo of the Space Telescope Science Institute

Astronomers organize galaxy shapes using a system proposed by Edwin Hubble in 1928. At first glance, the Hubble sequence appears to be akin to an Audubon bird classification chart. However, underneath the neatly arrayed shapes and colors lies a complex and violent history. Through the lens of radio, infrared, ultraviolet, and optical astronomy, we can deduce their histories and, more importantly, their future. Nearby examples of every stage in the Hubble sequence provide living galactic fossils to study 10 billion years of development that humans had not been around to witness. Join us for an observational tour of the Hubble sequence, through galaxies both young and old, experiencing both quiet and violent transitions, and shedding light on the fundamental galactic question of how we got here.

Host: Dr. Frank Summers

Recorded live on Tuesday, September 4, 2018 at the Space Telescope Science Institute in Baltimore, Maryland, U.S.A.

More information: http://hubble.stsci.edu/about_us/public_talks/

Tonight’s Sky: September 2018

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In September, your binoculars will reveal the rusty surface of Mars, iconic rings of Saturn, the waxing Moon—and the comet Giacobini-Zinner, which passes through the constellation of Auriga.

“Tonight’s Sky” is produced by HubbleSite.org, online home of the Hubble Space Telescope. This is a recurring show, and you can find more episodes—and other astronomy videos—at http://hubblesite.org/videos/science

Ashes to Ashes, Dust to Dust: The Fate of Stars Like the Sun

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Ashes to Ashes, Dust to Dust: The Fate of Stars Like the Sun
Greg Sloan of the Space Telescope Science Institute

Our Sun, though seemingly eternal, is about halfway through its roughly 10-billion-year lifespan. What will happen when the Sun dies? Not only will the answer be important to whoever inhabits Earth in a few billion years, it is important to astronomers today. Quiet stars like the Sun are many times more numerous than large stars and play a major role in how galaxies develop. Importantly, how these stars die determines when life can first form in the galaxy.

Host: Dr. Frank Summers

Recorded live on Tuesday, August 7 at the Space Telescope Science Institute in Baltimore, Maryland, U.S.A.

More information: http://hubble.stsci.edu/about_us/public_talks/

Tonight’s Sky: August 2018

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Save the date to watch the peak of the Perseid meteor shower—an always-anticipated feature of the night sky—August 12 and 13th. This month, backyard telescopes will also reveal sunlight reflecting off the clouds of Venus’s thick atmosphere and the Ring Nebula, an expanding shell of glowing gas in the constellation Lyra.

“Tonight’s Sky” is produced by HubbleSite.org, online home of the Hubble Space Telescope. This is a recurring show, and you can find more episodes—and other astronomy videos—at http://hubblesite.org/videos/science