“Black Holes: Monsters Of The Universe”

‘Imiloa Astronomy Center’s next Maunakea Skies Talk will bring the planetarium audience to the edge of darkness as Dr. Geoffrey Bower, Academica Sinica Institute for Astronomy and Astrophysics, presents “Black Holes: the Monsters of the Universe” at 7 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 19,

Massive black holes are thought to be located at the centers of all galaxies, said an Imiloa release. With masses up to a billion times that of the Sun, these compact objects are efficient and powerful sources of energy, governing the formation of stars and the growth of galaxy clusters throughout the history of the Universe.

At the same time, black holes provide a unique laboratory for exploring extreme gravity and testing the theory of General Relativity. Dr. Bower will provide a tour from the most distant and most powerful black holes to the starved black hole haunting the Milky Way.

Bower studies black holes and other energetic phenomena using radio telescopes, including the Submillimeter Array on Maunakea, the Very Large Array in New Mexico, and the Atacama Large Millimeter Array in Chile.

The Maunakea Skies program will be hosted by Cam Wipper, ‘Imiloa planetarium staff, who will provide observational highlights of the current night sky over Hawai‘i, pointing out prominent constellations and stars one can see during this time of year.

The monthly Maunakea Skies planetarium presentations are held on the third Friday of each month. Cost is $8 for Individual, Dual, Kupuna and Family Members; $6 for Patron Members; Free for Silver, Gold and Corporate Members. Non-member rate is $10. Pre-purchase tickets at the ‘Imiloa front desk or by phone at 969-9703.