Take a spooktacular tour of the cosmos this Dark Matter Day
Astronomers and dark matter scientists will hold a spooktacular event to celebrate Dark Matter Day on Tuesday, October 31
The ‘Spooktacular Space – Things That Go Bump in the Dark!’ event at Swinburne University of Technology’s Hawthorn campus will feature a panel of scientists discussing mysterious cosmic phenomena.
The MC will be astronomer and science communicator Sara Webb, who introduces new audiences to the wonder of the cosmos through her popular social media presence.
Speakers on the panel include Swinburne Centre for Astrophysics and Supercomputing founder Matthew Bailes, Swinburne postdoctoral researcher Yuanming Wang and Swinburne PhD candidate Renee Key.
The event is organised by the ARC Centre of Excellence for Gravitational Wave Discovery (OzGrav), ARC Centre of Excellence for Dark Matter Particle Physics and the Centre of Astrophysics and Supercomputing at Swinburne University of Technology.
ARC Centre of Excellence for Dark Matter Particle Physics researcher Renee Key says the Spooktacular provides the opportunity for members of the community to share the excitement of the search for dark matter and other cosmic phenomena.
“The nature of dark matter is one of the great mysteries of the Universe, and we think that Halloween is the perfect time to take a look into the darkness and explore the unknown.
“This isn’t just an event for scientists or academics but an opportunity to share the excitement of scientific exploration more widely.
“All of the speakers are passionate about their particular areas of science, whether that is astronomy, astrophysics, or the miniscule black holes that I’ve been studying, and we’re all looking forward to shedding light the mysterious questions of science.”
Dr Webb says she is looking forward to introducing the community to the big mysteries of the universe.
"When people think of spooky they often think of ghost and ghouls... but we're going to change that with the spooky, scary things hiding in our universe. You'll want to keep one eye open ... to look through our telescopes and enjoy Halloween with the best event in town ... Swinburne Spooktacular!"
Coinciding with Halloween, the event will take place between 5.30 and 8pm and include a costume contest, themed canapes and networking in the Sky Lounge.
Register or find out more on Eventbrite.
For interviews, contact: Fleur Morrison | 0421 118 233 | fleur.morrison@unimelb.edu.au