The Institute of Radio Astronomy and Astrophysics (IRyA) at UNAM, Campus Morelia, celebrates 20 years since its creation and invites the public to its Astronomy Fridays during the second semester of 2023. In this cycle, academics from IRyA share general public talks on various astronomical topics (in Spanish), and the public can also observe the sky with telescopes with the support of IRyA graduate students.
To mark this 20th anniversary the cycle will have four sessions starting this August 25 with the talk “ngVLA: A new generation of radio astronomy”, shared by Dr. Alice Pasetto. She will tell us about one of the most important new projects in the world involving astronomy in radio frequencies, which includes an important collaboration with UNAM and IRyA researchers.
The session begins at 7:00 pm with a talk in the main auditorium at UNAM Campus Morelia, located on Antigua Carretera a Pátzcuaro, in front of Tenencia Morelos. At 8:30 pm the public an observe the sky with the telescopes that IRyA will make available. On Friday, August 25, we will observe a beautiful waxing Moon and Saturn and its ring system, weather permitting. In case of cloudy skies, we have prepared a supplementary activity.
The other talks in the cycle will have the same program, and will be held on the last Friday of each month. They will the themes researched by IRyA’s academic staff: in September, Dr. Adriana Gazol, one of the founders of the Astronomy Fridays cycle, will tell us about the most quiet gas in the interstellar medium of our galaxy, the Milky Way.
In October, Dr. Jesús Toalá will talk about the life cycle of stars and the projects developed by the Evolved Stars research team at IRyA, while in November Prof. Emeriti Luis Felipe Rodríguez and Susana Lizano, two of IRyA’s founders, will tell all about the history of radio astronomy in Mexico and how it came to Morelia as part UNAM.
The talks are in Spanish, in-person and free, and no prior registration is required to attend. They are open to the general public, but IRyA would like to especially invite secondary, high school and undergraduate students. We ask the public to arrive 10 minutes before 7 pm.
The talks will be broadcast simultaneously through the IRyA UNAM Facebook, YouTube and Twitter pages, as well as the Facebook page of the Astronomical Society of Michoacán, SAMAC, with whom the IRyA collaborates in this cycle of conferences.
About IRyA, UNAM
The Instituto de Radioastronomía y Astrofísica (IRyA), or Institute for Radioastronomy and Astrophysics is an academic unit at UNAM, Campus Morelia, Mexico. We perform high-level and high-impact research in the areas of interstellar medium, star formation, evolved stars, high energy astrophysics, Galactic dynamics and structure, extragalactic astronomy and cosmology. We contribute to the education of high-level human resources through a postgraduate program, and we have close contact with society through diverse outreach programs.
If you are interested in our Institute, visit the English version of our webpage, www.irya.unam.mx/web/en
Media contact:
Dr. René A. Ortega Minakata
Outreach and Science Communication
IRyA UNAM Campus Morelia
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Text: IRyA UNAM