Astronomy on Tap Fullsteam Brewery in Durham, NC

A collapsing star produces a brilliant supernova, as bright as a galaxy for a short time, and also a huge blast of neutrinos.  Neutrinos are “ghostly” particles that most of the time just go right through matter– but we can capture a few of them in large detectors.  At Oak Ridge National Laboratory in Tennessee, an accelerator called the Spallation Neutron Source produces intense bursts of neutrinos– like an artificial supernova. Join us as Dr. Kate Scholberg (Duke) discusses how detectors in the basement of a lab, dubbed “Neutrino Alley”, try to catch neutrino signals and help us learn about supernovae, matter and neutrinos themselves!

Don’t forget to get there on time for a quick round of astronomy trivia and special prizes! We’ll also have some (earth-based) telescopes out front for you to check out if the weather cooperates. There is always lots of time to ask questions and interact with the presenters and other scientists who inevitably stick around for the beer. We can’t wait to see you there! Be sure to follow us on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook or sign up for our email list to get updates on future events.