Infinite Horizons: Mar. 20th “Extreme Ultraviolet Astronomy with the SIRIUS mission”
Speaker: Prof. Martin Barstow (University of Leicester)
Mar. 20th, 2024
4pm, Beijing time
Watch it on Zoom
We have the pleasure to host the next Infinite Horizons' seminar on March 20th, 2024. Our host will be Prof. Martin Barstow from the University of Leichester. Professor Barstow will talk about The Extreme Ultraviolet wavelength range.
Seminar’s abstract:
The Extreme Ultraviolet (EUV) wavelength range is one of the last relatively unexplored regions of the electromagnetic spectrum. In this range radiation interacts very strongly with matter, making it difficult to observe sources through the absorbing interstellar medium. However, it also makes observations in the EUV a tremendous diagnostic tool for studying the atmospheres of white dwarf stars, the coronal activity of solar-type stars and the interstellar medium itself. Space missions in the 1990s provided the first whole-sky surveys for EUV sources and low resolution spectra of some individual objects, but detailed diagnostics require high resolution spectroscopy to be carried out. Only a handful of high resolution EUV spectra have been obtained with sub-orbital flights on sounding rockets. The proposed SIRIUS mission plans to develop one of the sounding rocket-borne instruments into a low-cost, but highly capable satellite mission able to provide several hundred high signal-to-noise and high resolution EUV spectra addressing a range of science goals. This presentation will describe SIRIUS and the exciting science results that it is expected to deliver.
(Our Infinite Horizons seminars are usually host on the third Wednesday of the month)
About the Speaker:
Martin Barstow joined the University of Leicester in 1979, becoming Professor of Astrophysics & Space Science (2003), Head of Physics & Astronomy (2005-09), Pro-Vice Chancellor/Head of Science & Engineering (2009-16) and Pro-Vice Chancellor/Director of the Leicester Institute of Space & Earth Observation (2016-19). He researches hot white dwarf stars and the interstellar medium and he has 518 publications with more than 29,000 citations. He has been involved in many space missions, including Voyager, Hubble, James Webb Space Telescope and ESA’s Gaia astrometry mission. He has been a member of the ESA Astronomy Working Group, member of the Science and Technology Facilities Council and President of the Royal Astronomical Society (2014-16). In 2019, he chaired the programme committee of the UK Space Conference. He chaired the Space Telescope Institute Council (2016-2022), was a member of the board of the Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy (2016-2022) and Chair of the UK Space Agency Science Programme Advisory Committee (2019-2022). He is the originator of the concept of Space Park Leicester, creating an economic space cluster with industry partners, a leader in its development and is Director of Strategic Partnerships for the project. He led the SPRINT SME growth project and is leader of the Midlands Space Cluster development.
