On Sunday, November 10, the SaddleBrooke Skygazers Astronomy Club will present Dr. Joannah Hinz, an Associate Research Professor and Deputy Director of the Large Binocular Telescope (LBT) Observatory at the University of Arizona’s Steward Observatory. The Program presentation will be held at 7 p.
m. in the DesertView Theater, located at 39900 S. Clubhouse Drive.
Hinz’s research focus is on Extragalactic Astronomy, Infrared Astronomy and Instrumentation and Detectors. At this program meeting, she will speak about her work in Extragalactic Astronomy. Rubin's Galaxy, also known as UGC 2885, is one of the largest known spiral galaxies in the Universe.
It is more than twice the diameter of our Milky Way and contains ten times as many stars, a gigantic, dynamic swirl of astonishing beauty and hidden secrets. Named for astronomer Vera Rubin, UGC 2885 challenges our current classification scheme for local galaxies, defying attempts to label it as either a "super spiral" or a "giant low surface brightness galaxy." Extremely isolated in space and seemingly undisturbed by past interactions with other galaxies, UGC 2885 nevertheless contains an active galactic nucleus, calling into question the sources of fuel for such a powerhouse.
We will delve into observations, both old and new, of this tantalizing island universe, using its unusual nature to probe the origin and evolution of galaxies. Joannah Hinz received a Bachelor of Science degree in physics with a minor in English literature.
