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Christopher Reynolds, Professor at the University of Maryland College Park and Director of the Joint Space Science Institute, will present the 2024 McDonnell Distinguished Lecture.

What is a black hole? If they are so black, how can they outshine whole galaxies? What impact do they have on the rest of the Universe? And where and when in the story of the Universe did supermassive black holes first emerge? These questions have engaged astrophysicists for over 50 years and motivated the construction of some of the most powerful observatories humanity have built. Reynolds will discuss the current state of knowledge on supermassive black holes, the monsters that are found at the center of essentially every galaxy in the Universe. Indeed, we have evidence-based answers to most of these questions apart from the most profound one… the origin of supermassive black holes. He will conclude by discussing the promise of the next generation of even more powerful observatories for solving this mystery.