An amusement park’s roller coaster’s motion is determined by gravity and by the shape and structure of the coaster tracks. Motion in the universe – our solar system, the Milky Way galaxy, and beyond - is also determined largely by gravity. The “tracks” are the actual shape of the universe, with matter and energy altering the basic geometry of space.

Ian Redmount, of Saint Louis University, will talk about the cosmic roller coaster – how Einstein’s General Relativity Theory allows us to understand how and why space is curved. He explains: “The profile of the cosmic roller coaster is determined by the matter and energy content of the Universe. As farther-reaching observations have shown us more and more of the history of the cosmos, we have refined and modified our understanding of the stuff of which it is made, introducing “dark matter” and “dark energy” into our lexicon. Recently researchers at Saint Louis University have introduced a model of the Universe dominated by tachyons, faster-than-light particles. This model makes predictions similar, but not identical, to those of what has come over the last two decades to be called the Standard Model.”

The St. Louis Astronomical Society is an organization for individuals interested in astronomy and telescopes. The public is invited to attend its meetings, telescope observing sessions, and special events. For more information about Astronomical Society events, please visit www.slasonline.org or call 314-962-9231. The event, cosponsored by NASA's Missouri Space Grant Consortium, is open to the public free of charge.

To get the link to the Zoom meeting if you are a non-member of SLAS, simply send a request to:

contactus@slasonline.com

An amusement park’s roller coaster’s motion is determined by gravity and by the shape and structure of the coaster tracks. Motion in the universe – our solar system, the Milky Way galaxy, and beyond - is also determined largely by gravity. The “tracks” are the actual shape of the universe, with matter and energy altering the basic geometry of space.

Ian Redmount, of Saint Louis University, will talk about the cosmic roller coaster – how Einstein’s General Relativity Theory allows us to understand how and why space is curved. He explains: “The profile of the cosmic roller coaster is determined by the matter and energy content of the Universe. As farther-reaching observations have shown us more and more of the history of the cosmos, we have refined and modified our understanding of the stuff of which it is made, introducing “dark matter” and “dark energy” into our lexicon. Recently researchers at Saint Louis University have introduced a model of the Universe dominated by tachyons, faster-than-light particles. This model makes predictions similar, but not identical, to those of what has come over the last two decades to be called the Standard Model.”

The St. Louis Astronomical Society is an organization for individuals interested in astronomy and telescopes. The public is invited to attend its meetings, telescope observing sessions, and special events. For more information about Astronomical Society events, please visit www.slasonline.org or call 314-962-9231. The event, cosponsored by NASA's Missouri Space Grant Consortium, is open to the public free of charge.

To get the link to the Zoom meeting if you are a non-member of SLAS, simply send a request to:

contactus@slasonline.com