BEGIN:VCALENDAR VERSION:2.0 PRODID:-//wp-events-plugin.com//7.2.3.1//EN TZID:America/Chicago X-WR-TIMEZONE:America/Chicago BEGIN:VEVENT UID:1063@redriveruu.org DTSTART;TZID=America/Chicago:20220717T100000 DTEND;TZID=America/Chicago:20220717T110000 DTSTAMP:20220418T150316Z URL:https://redriveruu.org/events/adult-forum-may-1-through-july-17-my-fav orite-universe-2022-07-17/ SUMMARY:Adult Forum: May 1 through July 17 - My Favorite Universe DESCRIPTION:\n\nNeil deGrasse Tyson\, Ph.D.\n"Of all the amazing things abo ut the Universe\, I think two stand above all the rest. One of them is tha t we know so much about the universe\, but another is that there’s even more that we don’t know."\nInstitution: Hayden Planetarium\nAlma mater:  Columbia University\n \;\nCourse Overview\n\n\nIn My Favorite Univer se\, the astrophysicist who directs the nation's most famous planetarium t akes you on a spirited and intellectually engaging journey through the cos mos and all its history\, from before the Big Bang to the most likely ways in which Earth\, and perhaps the entire universe\, might end.\n\nClear Sc ience Teaching to Set the Stage for an Awe-Inspiring Course\n\nCreated for a lay audience and readily accessible\, in this course science always tak es precedence over drama. The lectures are certainly entertaining\, often funny\, even awe-inspiring at times\, as befits the subject matter.\n\nEve n though you will be entertained\, you will be learning good science.\n\nC lear introductions to essential principles of physics support these lectur es\, including density\, quantum theory\, gravity\, and the General Theory of Relativity. Professor Neil deGrasse Tyson also includes forays into di sciplines such as chemistry and biology as needed to explain events in ast ronomy.\n\nFor example\, Dr. Tyson begins one lecture at a point 13 billio n years ago\, when all space\, matter\, and energy in the known universe w ere contained in a volume less than one-trillionth the size of a pinpoint —about the size of a single atom. By the time he finishes\, the cosmos h as been stretched\, the planets and our Earth formed\, and 70 percent of e xisting Earth species have been wiped out by a gigantic asteroidclearing t he way for the evolution of humanity.\n\nAlong the way he has touched on E instein's famous equation\, E=mc2\; on the four forces that were once unif ied in the early cosmos in a way physicists are still trying to explain\; and on the chemical enrichment of the universe by exploding supernovae\, w hich give the universe its necessary supply of heavier elements including oxygen\, nitrogen\, iron and\, most important\, carbon.\n\nCarbon\, we lea rn\, is a "sticky" atom\, capable of making more kinds of molecules than a ll other elements combined. It's the ideal element with which to experimen t in the building of life forms and is\, of course\, the element responsib le for the remarkable diversity of life\, including us.\n\nAs Dr. Tyson no tes\, we are made of stardust\, just as the planets are. And he has create d a course that explains exactly how that came to be\, beginning with a gr ounding in the basic "machinery" of matter\, forces\, and energy that has been discovered on Earth and which also reveals itself throughout the univ erse.\n\nThe Stark and Violent Beauty of the Universe \n\nWith this basic foundation in place\, explanations of cosmic events fall logically into pl ace\, and the realities of the universe—including its eventual demise— are revealed in stark and often violent beauty. You learn:\n\n how Saturn 's rings were formed\, and why they will eventually be lost\n why low-den sity conditions are necessary to produce the drama of the northern and sou thern auroras\n why even the most jagged and wild of the Earth's mountain ranges are\, from a cosmic standpoint\, really part of a perfectly smooth sphere\n how black holes are formed and the extraordinary way in which t hey can wreak havoc in the universe\n how asteroids moving through space represent threats of extraordinary consequence to Earth\, no matter how lo ng those threats may take to be realized\n why the seemingly infinite pan orama of celestial bodies revealed by the Hubble Space Telescope's famous "Deep Field" so intrigued astronomers\n how astronomers actually look for new planets\,\n why the odds seem overwhelmingly in favor of some kind o f life out there\, whether we ever make contact or not.\n\nMost important\ , none of these ideas are presented as isolated "space factoids" that serv e no purpose but to entertain. They are there to illustrate and reinforce the key principles of physics and astrophysics that are continually being presented in this course.\n\nBut the inclusion of real science doesn't pre vent Dr. Tyson from having some fun\, either.\n\nWhen it's time to show ho w a black hole might remove one from the universe\, he leads you right up to the "event horizon" and slips you in—feet first. Since the event hori zon represents the point within which nothing\, not even light\, can escap e\, you might think this is a bad idea. And you would be right.\n\nBut as you plummet toward the "singularity" at the heart of the black hole\, you will learn firsthand about the interesting effects of gravity truly unleas hed\, including what physicists refer to\, with a straight face\, as "spag hettification." (Actually\, Professor Tyson recommends that you be sucked in to a large black hole rather than a small one. You'll still be spaghett ified\, but it won't happen as quickly.)\n\nBut make no mistake: Dr. Tyson does not consider the cosmos a laughing matter\, this kind of whimsical t ouch notwithstanding. In spite of his training\, he remains\, admittedly\, still in awe of his subject. And he has created a course that might well produce the same feeling in you.\n\n\nThe lectures cover:\n\n On Being Ro und\n On Being Rarefied\n On Being Dense\n Death by Black Hole\n Ends of the World\n Coming Attractions\n Onward to the Edge\n In Defense of the Big Bang\n The Greatest Story Ever Told\n Forged in the Stars\n The Search for Planets\n The Search for Life in the Universe\n\nJoin us on Z oom if you can't make it in person:  Zoom Link CATEGORIES:Adult Forum LOCATION:Red River UU Church and on ZOOM\, 515 Burnett Avenue\, Denison\, T exas\, 75021\, United States X-APPLE-STRUCTURED-LOCATION;VALUE=URI;X-ADDRESS=515 Burnett Avenue\, Deniso n\, Texas\, 75021\, United States;X-APPLE-RADIUS=100;X-TITLE=Red River UU Church and on ZOOM:geo:0,0 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VTIMEZONE TZID:America/Chicago X-LIC-LOCATION:America/Chicago BEGIN:DAYLIGHT DTSTART:20220313T030000 TZOFFSETFROM:-0600 TZOFFSETTO:-0500 TZNAME:CDT END:DAYLIGHT END:VTIMEZONE END:VCALENDAR