On January 4th, Hamilton RASC is pleased to host Dr. Ian Shelton, BSc, MSc, PhD at our monthly meeting. At our meeting, Dr. Shelton will discuss Supernova 1987A, which he co-discovered.
Dr. Shelton at David Dunlap Observtory
When Supernova 1987A appeared thirty years ago on February 23, 1987, it was the brightest supernova in almost 400 hundred years. Armed with almost one hundred years of modern physics (General Relativity and Quantum Mechanics), we thought we had a pretty good idea what supernovae were all about. Hear a review of the many important “firsts” it has provided and how well our theories have stood up to this test from Dr. Ian Shelton, co-discoverer of Supernova 1987A.
Dr. Shelton has spent 30 years studying variations in the brightness and the spectra of stars to learn about their structure, composition and evolution. He has taught Physics and Astronomy at Mount Allison University in New Brunswick, studied the Aurora at Athabasca University in Alberta, and continues to teach Astronomy summer courses at the University of Toronto.
Dr. Shelton is an honorary Lifetime Member of the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada in recognition for his discovery of Supernova 1987A, the first supernova visible to the unaided eye since Kepler’s supernova of 1604. He has been a staff member at some of the largest observatories in the world, including the 6.5-metre MMT in Arizona and Japan’s 8.3-metre Subaru Telescope in Hawaii. As Chair of the David Dunlap Observatory Defenders (DDOD.ca), he is deeply committed to preserving the DDO and surrounding lands to ensure that the campus continues to operate as a world-class astronomical and astrophysical research facility and a centre of excellence in public outreach.
Members of the public are welcome to our meeting.
The meeting will be held at 8pm, January 4, 2018 at:
The Royal Canadian Legion Branch 551
79 Hamilton Street North, 2nd floor
Waterdown, Ontario L0R 2H0
