Year in Astronomy

This presentation will sum up two of the most important events of the past year in Astronomy: NASA’s New Horizons fly-by of Pluto and the 100^th anniversary of Einstein’s Theory of General Relativity. It will highlight the astounding new images of Pluto and its moons, give some insight into the importance of Einstein’s theory and some surprising consequences, and finish with a brief overview of some new programs available for Physics & Engineering students at Normandale.

Tony Weinbeck is a member of the Physics & Engineering Department at Normandale Community College. He has degrees in Physics and Astronomy from MIT and Tufts University, and before coming to Normandale he held teaching positions at Boston College, UMass Boston, and Shattuck-St. Mary’s. His research interests include quasars, star formation, and neutrino physics. Tony lives in St. Louis Park with his retired racing greyhound Lenny, and especially enjoys teaching introductory astronomy to non-science majors.