Space Talk
LSC's Jennifer Chalsty Planetarium, the biggest planetarium in America, is the ideal venue for today’s working astronomers to share their pursuit of answers to the Big Unanswered Questions of the universe, from the secrets of black holes, to life on other planets, to the mysteries of dark matter, and beyond.
In this series, a guest astronomer presents a Space Talk in the planetarium, taking full advantage of its state-of-the-art systems and immersive environment. Come join these cosmic conversations under our giant dome!
Each Space Talk kicks off an LSC After Dark adult evening for guests 18 and up, when the Center is open late for festive food, mind-blowing conversation, lawn games, music and dancing, more planetarium shows, and four floors of awesome exhibitions and experiences. Don’t miss the fun!
- April 10, 2025: Solving the Dark Energy Mystery with Distant Galaxies with Dr. Gawiser
- May 29, 2025: Satellites and Orbits with Dr. Geha
- June 12, 2025: Galaxy Formation and Evolution with Dr. Alyson Brooks
Thursday April 10, 2025
Jennifer Chalsty Planetarium, Liberty Science Center
7:00 - 7:45 PM
Eric Gawiser, PhD
Topic: Solving the Dark Energy Mystery with Distant Galaxies
How do distant galaxies form, and how can they help us explore dark energy and dark matter? Eric Gawiser, PhD, distinguished professor of physics and astronomy at Rutgers University, explores these and other cosmic questions through his research. Drawing on the resources of the nation’s largest planetarium, Dr. Gawiser will bring his research vividly to life at LSC.
Dr. Gawiser studies distant galaxies and black holes to understand how they form and to probe fundamental physics. He began using the world's largest telescopes to study distant galaxies as a postdoctoral fellow at U.C. San Diego and later a National Science Foundation Astronomy & Astrophysics postdoctoral pellow and Andes Prize pellow at Yale University. In 2018, he was named a fellow of the American Physical Society for “exceptional accomplishments and leadership in the study of galaxy evolution and cosmology.”
Get tickets now!
Thursday, May 29, 2025
Jennifer Chalsty Planetarium, Liberty Science Center
7:00 - 7:45 PM
Marla Geha, PhD
Topic: Orbits and Satellites: Rocket Science for Everybody
Most people don’t think, when opening a ride sharing app, that they’re about to use a satellite 12,000 miles away. In this Space Talk in the nation’s biggest planetarium, Dr. Geha will present an exploration of two related topics that impact our lives every day: orbits and satellites. What does it mean to reach escape velocity? What does it mean to be in ‘free fall’ around our planet?
Dr. Geha studies dwarf galaxies and is the director of Yale Telescope Resources. She is the presenter of the popular, free online course ‘Rocket Science for Everyone.’
Thursday, June 12, 2025
Jennifer Chalsty Planetarium, Liberty Science Center
7:00 - 7:45 PM
Alyson Brooks, PhD
Topic: Galaxy Formation and Evolution
Dr. Alyson Brooks specializes in large-scale simulations of galaxy formation, starting approximately one million years after the Big Bang. She will present her gargantuan works on the giant dome of Liberty Science Center’s Jennifer Chalsty Planetarium—the largest one in the nation!
***
About Space Talk:
The programs are presented at the Jennifer Chalsty Planetarium at Liberty Science Center, the largest planetarium in America. LSC’s staff works with the Space Talk presenters to bring their work to life on LSC’s giant dome. Space Talks last about 30 minutes are are followed by a chance to meet the presenter in the Weston Family Lab for Earth and Space Exploration, near the planetarium. Space Talks presentations are included in After Dark admission; please note that After Dark admission is restricted to ages 18+.
January 2025
A Trillion Pixels a Night: Mapping the Cosmos with the Vera Rubin Observatory
Dr. Charles Liu, astrophysics professor at the City University of New York’s College of Staten Island
June 2024
Stellar Fireworks
Dr. Saurabh Jha, professor of physics and astronomy at Rutgers University
Learn More
May 2024
Strange New Worlds
Dr. Josh Winn, Professor of Astrophysics at Princeton University
Learn More
March 2024
The Atmospheres on Exoplanets
Dr. Leonardo Dos Santos, Fellow at the Space Telescope Science Institute
Learn More
January 2024
Found! Ancient Black Hole
Dr. Priyamvada Natarajan, the Joseph S. and Sophia S. Fruton Professor of Astronomy and Professor of Physics at Yale University
Learn More
December 2023
From the Hubble to the Webb
Dr. Joel Green, Hubble Space Telescope Scientist at the Space Telescope Science Institute
Learn More
November 2023
Alien Life and How to Find It
Dr. Clara Sousa-Silva, Assistant Professor of Physics at Bard College and a researcher at the Institute of Astrophysics and Space Sciences
Learn More
October 2023
Sightseeing in Space
Renowned author and science communicator Dr. Phil Plait —aka the "Bad Astronomer”
Learn More
September 2023
A New View of the Milky Way
Dr. Kathryn Johnston, Professor of Astronomy at Columbia University
Learn More
August 2023
Seeing the Invisible Universe
Dr. Jo Dunkley, Professor of Physics and Astrophysical Sciences at Princeton University
Learn More
July 2023
Exploring Alien Worlds
Dr. Munazza Alam, an astronomer, National Geographic Young Explorer, and postdoctoral researcher at the Carnegie Earth & Planets Laboratory
Learn More
June 2023
Climate Change in the Solar System
Dr. David Grinspoon, Senior Scientist at the Planetary Science Institute
Learn More
May 2023
A Goldmine in Gravitational Waves
Dr. Brian Metzger, Astronomer from the Department of Physics at Columbia University
Learn More
April 2023
How Invisible Forces Shape Galaxies
Dr. Adrian Price-Whelan, Associate Research Scientist and Leader of the Galactics Dynamics Group at the Center for Computational Astrophysics at the Flatiron Institute
Learn More
March 2023
Cosmic Clues from Gravitational Waves
Dr. Marc Favata, Chair of Physics and Astronomy at Montclair State University
Learn More
February 2023
Black Holes in Focus
Dr. Jenny Greene, Professor of Astrophysical Sciences at Princeton University
Learn More
January 2023
2022: A Great Year in Space
Mike Shanahan, LSC Planetarium Director
Learn More
December 2022
Is There Life on Venus?
Dr. Sara Seager, Professor of Planetary Science and Physics at MIT
Learn More
October 2022
Too Small to Be a Star, Too Large to Be a Planet: What's Up with Brown Dwarfs?
Dr. Emily Rice, Associate Professor of Astrophysics and Physics at CUNY
Learn More
September 2022
What Secrets Will the James Webb Space Telescope Reveal?, featuring brand new image never before seen by the public of isolated dwarf galaxy Wolf-Lundmark-Melotte
Dr. Kristen McQuinn, Assistant Professor in the Department of Physics and Astronomy at Rutgers
Learn More
August 2022
Will We Find Another Earth?
Dr. Emily Rickman, European Space Agency Fellow at the Space Telescope Science Institute and James Webb Science Telescope team member
Learn More
July 2022
Star Formation Over Cosmic Time
Dr. Mordecai-Mark Mac Low from the Department of Astronomy at Columbia University and Department of Astrophysics at the American Museum of Natural History
Learn More
June 2022
How Fast is the Universe Expanding?
Dr. Saurabh Jha, Professor of Physics and Astronomy at Rutgers
Learn More
