Professor Charles Buchanan, a high-energy physicist, will present a short course on the story of the Big Bang as we currently understand it, presented for laymen as a sort of conceptual flowchart. At a youthful 13.8 billion years old and still expanding, this beautiful, astounding universe is full of oddities such as black holes, neutron stars, and dark matter. We’ll trace the universe through various stages, including early-on “inflation,” when space apparently expanded crazily faster than the speed of light, and the later cosmic microwave background, from which we have learned precise information about our universe. Part 1 of 4: A conceptual overview of the history of our universe beginning 13.8 billion years ago using a short video by Neil deGrasse Tyson as a basis for discussion. We’ll also begin diving into paradigm-shifting new concepts in the 20th century. (Please note: Childcare not provided.) To register, please call 253.313.0793.
