Comments on: Mr. Accelerator “vs.” Mr. Telescope

By: Mark

Mark — Wed, 10 Dec 2008 18:26:28 +0000

Thanks Elliot – lots of fun if you’re in or near Chicago!

By: Elliot Tarabour

Elliot Tarabour — Wed, 10 Dec 2008 15:51:31 +0000

Looks like this event (or something like it) may be replayed in Chicago in February

From Cafe Scientique Chicago……..

————————————————————————————————————————–

The Dark Side of the Universe: Dark Matter and Dark Energy
When: Tuesday, February 24, 2009 5:30 PM – 7:30 PM
Where: Blackstone Hotel
price $15

Reception/Registration: 5:30-6:00pm,
Lecture: 6:00-7:30pm.
Only one percent of the Universe is made of the kind of everyday matter that can be seen with telescopes – the stars, the planets, and us. Another 3.5 percent is made of hot gas that can only be seen with x-ray instruments. The rest is a complete mystery. Join us as three prominent scientists – cosmologist Rocky Kolb, particle physicist Joe Lykken, and cosmologist Michael Turner – discuss what we know about the nature of dark matter and dark energy and the roles of particle accelerators and telescopes in solving the mystery of the unseen 96 percent of the Universe. Admission is free for Chicago Council for Science and Technology members; $15 for non-members. To register online, email: info@c2st.org. Adults. Blackstone Hotel, Crystal Ballroom, 636 South Michigan Avenue, Chicago __________________________________

By: Åka

Åka — Tue, 09 Dec 2008 21:15:49 +0000

Yes, but I don’t think the joke works.

By: graviton383

graviton383 — Tue, 09 Dec 2008 18:39:33 +0000

I think Rocky can take him…

By: Doug

Doug — Tue, 09 Dec 2008 16:50:54 +0000

From the pictures in the background, Mr. Telescope is clearly winning 2-1.

By: Mark

Mark — Tue, 09 Dec 2008 16:42:19 +0000

Aka – it is just supposed to be a joke; a un way to phrase the discussion. none of the people involved actually sees it this way.

By: Åka

Åka — Tue, 09 Dec 2008 15:53:28 +0000

I was almost going to comment on this myself, but never got around to writing anything. I found the article a bit silly, just because of what you say here: it phrases it as if they were competitors, but you really get the impression that they (well, *we* I guess) are doing the same thing, sometimes even with the same instruments.

By: JC

JC — Tue, 09 Dec 2008 11:55:21 +0000

Does that mean that the ideal cosmologist is also a particle physicist, and vice versa?

By: Ryan

Ryan — Mon, 08 Dec 2008 22:34:40 +0000

Using phenomena with length scales of megaparsecs to constrain particle properties (or vice versa) is a wonderful example of

“the fundamental interconnectedness of all things.”
-Dirk Gently

By: Eugene

Eugene — Mon, 08 Dec 2008 22:21:52 +0000

Ah, I didn’t know Ed Salpeter has passed away.

In line with astrophysics being totally connected to particle physics, one should also mention his work on the initial mass function of stars in galaxies : the Salpeter Mass Function. Still used as the defactor standard, and still awaiting a good explanation of why it is such a great fit.