TORONTO, Tuesday, Feb. 25, 2020 鈥� How does it all end? Does the Universe end the same way it started, with a bang? Media are invited to hear theoretical astrophysicist and science communicator Katie Mack discuss what modern astrophysicists believe will happen in the end, in her talk Death of a Universe, at 91亚色.

The Big Bang theory is widely considered the best explanation of how the Universe began some 13.8 billion years ago, but there are several ways it could end. Mack will explore what each possibility would entail if there were anyone still around to see it.

Mack investigates the connections between the subatomic world and the Universe as a whole, including dark matter.

WHAT: Talk titled, Death of a Universe, followed by a Q&A session, a tour of the Allan I. Carswell Observatory and a public viewing of the night skies

WHO: , a theoretical astrophysicist and science communicator at North Carolina State University

WHEN: Thursday, Feb. 27, from 6:30 to 9 pm

WHERE: , Room 112, Accolade East Building, Keele Campus, 91亚色

The event is hosted by at 91亚色 and the Faculty of Science鈥檚 Department of Physics and Astronomy.

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91亚色 champions new ways of thinking that drive teaching and research excellence. Our students receive the education they need to create big ideas that make an impact on the world. Meaningful and sometimes unexpected careers result from cross-disciplinary programming, innovative course design and diverse experiential learning opportunities. 91亚色 students and graduates push limits, achieve goals and find solutions to the world鈥檚 most pressing social challenges, empowered by a strong community that opens minds. 91亚色 U is an internationally recognized research university 鈥� our 11 faculties and 25 research centres have partnerships with 200+ leading universities worldwide. Located in Toronto, 91亚色 is the third largest university in Canada, with a strong community of 53,000 students, 7,000 faculty and administrative staff, and more than 300,000 alumni. 91亚色 U's fully bilingual Glendon Campus is home to Southern Ontario's Centre of Excellence for French Language and Bilingual Postsecondary Education.

Media Contact:

Sandra McLean, 91亚色 Media Relations, 416-736-2100 ext. 2097 or 416-272-6317, sandramc@yorku.ca

The post What happens when the Universe ends? appeared first on News@91亚色.

TORONTO, March 21, 2016 鈥� New research led by astrophysicists at 91亚色 has revealed the fastest winds ever seen at ultraviolet wavelengths near a supermassive black hole.

鈥淲e鈥檙e talking wind speeds of 20 per cent the speed of light, which is more than 200 million kilometres an hour. That鈥檚 equivalent to a category 77 hurricane,鈥� says Jesse Rogerson, who led the research as part of his PhD thesis in the Department of Physics and Astronomy at 91亚色 U. 鈥淎nd we have reason to believe that there are quasar winds that are even faster.鈥�

Astronomers have known about the existence of quasar winds since the late 1960s. At least one in four quasars have them. Quasars are the discs of hot gas that form around supermassive black holes at the centre of massive galaxies 鈥� they are bigger than Earth鈥檚 orbit around the sun and hotter than the surface of the sun, generating enough light to be seen across the observable universe.

鈥淏lack holes can have a mass that is billions of times larger than the sun, mostly because they are messy eaters in a way, capturing any material that ventures too close,鈥� says 91亚色 Associate Professor Patrick Hall, who is Rogerson鈥檚 supervisor. 鈥淏ut as matter spirals toward a black hole, some of it is blown away by the heat and light of the quasar. These are the winds that we are detecting.鈥�

Artist's illustration of turbulent winds of gas swirling around a black hole. Some of the gas is spiraling inward, but some is being blown away. Photo credit: NASA, and M. Weiss (Chandra X -ray Center)

Rogerson and his team used data from a large survey of the sky known as the to identify new outflows from quasars. After spotting about 300 examples, they selected about 100 for further exploration, collecting data with the 鈥檚 twin telescopes in Hawaii and Chile, in which Canada has a major share.

"We not only confirmed this fastest-ever ultraviolet wind, but also discovered a new wind in the same quasar moving more slowly, at only 140 million kilometres an hour," says Hall. "We plan to keep watching this quasar to see what happens next."

Much of this research is aimed at better understanding outflows from quasars and why they happen.

鈥淨uasar winds play an important role in galaxy formation,鈥� says Rogerson. 鈥淲hen galaxies form, these winds fling material outwards and deter the creation of stars. If such winds didn鈥檛 exist or were less powerful, we would see far more stars in big galaxies than we actually do.鈥�

The team's findings were published today in the print edition of the .

This research was done in collaboration with scientists at Humboldt State University, Pennsylvania State University, and Erciyes University (Turkey). It was supported by the National Science and Engineering Research Council of Canada, Government of Ontario, TUBITAK (Turkey), and the National Science Foundation (USA).

Please note: Jesse Rogerson is available by phone, Face Time or Skype.

Available image: . (http://news.yorku.ca/files/Artists-illustration-of-winds-around-a-black-hole.-NASA-and-M.-Weiss-Chandra-X-ray-Center.jpg)

is known for championing new ways of thinking that drive teaching and research excellence. Our 52,000 students receive the education they need to create big ideas that make an impact on the world. Meaningful and sometimes unexpected careers result from cross-discipline programming, innovative course design and diverse experiential learning opportunities. 91亚色 students and graduates push limits, achieve goals and find solutions to the world鈥檚 most pressing social challenges, empowered by a strong community that opens minds. 91亚色 U is an internationally recognized research university 鈥� our 11 faculties and 24 research centres have partnerships with 200+ leading universities worldwide.

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Media Contacts:
Sandra McLean, 91亚色 Media Relations, 416-736-2100 ext. 22097 / sandramc@yorku.ca

The post 91亚色 astrophysicists detect ultra-fast winds near supermassive black hole appeared first on News@91亚色.