The Day the Universe Changed: Astronomical Discoveries Across the Centuries

Dr. Frank Summers, an astrophysicist at the Space Telescope Science Institute in Baltimore, will speak on “The Day the Universe Changed: Astronomical Discoveries Across the Centuries” at the James City County Library, 7770 Croaker Rd. on Friday, March 19 at 7:30 p.m. The program is free of charge and reservations are not needed. Dr. Summers is the curator of the traveling exhibit “Visions of the Universe: Four Centuries of Discovery,” which is on exhibit at the James City County Library. The James City County Library will be the only one of the 40 libraries hosting the exhibit at which he will speak. Visit www.wrl.org/programs/visions.html or call the library at (757) 259-4070 for more information.

The steady growth of knowledge about our universe has often been punctuated by moments of profound changes in our viewpoint - times when an insightful astronomer or a new technology set came together and permanently altered our understanding of the cosmos. In his talk, Dr. Summers will discuss selected events in astronomical history that transformed our views not only in the past, but also continue to do so today. He’ll share stories about the universe and astronomical studies that could not be included in the brief text of the exhibit panels.

This program is presented as part of the programming for “Visions of the Universe: Four Centuries of Discovery,” a travelling exhibit at the James City County Library, 7770 Croaker Rd through March 27. The exhibit focuses on astronomy through the ages — from Galileo’s initial findings to the latest results of the Hubble Space Telescope. “Visions” vividly illustrates 400 years of growth in our knowledge of not just planets, stars, nebulae and galaxies, but also the size and scale of the universe in both space and time. A complete list of programs associated with Visions of the Universe is posted at www.wrl.org/programs/visions.html.

“Visions of the Universe: Four Centuries of Discovery” is presented by the Space Telescope Science Institute, Baltimore, Maryland, the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory, Cambridge, Massachusetts, and the American Library Association, Chicago, Illinois, through funding from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration.