Westminster Planetarium show will explore supermassive black holes

The Westminster College Planetarium will present “Cosmic Mashup” at 6 p.m., Wednesday, April 24, and Friday, May 3, in Hoyt Science Center.

This fulldome film will explore supermassive black holes, which are present in most galaxies. Scientists are beginning to uncover how the merging of galaxies activates galactic centers, and this show will explain how these activations occur.

“The supermassive black hole in the center of our galaxy, the Milky Way, is called Sagittarius A* (A Star) and is over 4 million times the mass of the sun,” said Dr. Matteo Luisi, assistant professor of physics and planetarium director. “Using a 2.5 meter telescope in New Mexico, the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) was produced, which allowed us to better understand how these black holes can form and evolve through galaxy collisions.”

This one-hour show, produced by Fiske Planetarium, is recommended for ages 12 and over. All shows are free and open to the public, but reservations are necessary due to limited seating.

Register here for the April 24 show or here for the May 3 show.

For more information, please visit www.westminster.edu/planetarium or email the Westminster College Planetarium at planetarium@westminster.edu.

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