"Dark Energy in the Universe" at Penn State Behrend April 15, 2010

“Dark Energy in the Universe” will be the topic of Roger Knacke’s final Open House Night in Astronomy at Penn State Erie, The Behrend College.

The event takes place at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday, April 15, in the Samuel P. “Pat” Black III Conference Center on the first floor of the college’s Research and Economic Development Center, 5101 Jordan Road. Parking will be available in the deck located on Technology Drive, and at the Junker Center. Admission is free and open to the public.

Knacke, a professor of physics and astronomy and director of the college’s School of Science, is retiring at the end of the academic year. He calls dark energy “among the most remarkable discoveries in astronomy in the last decade. We’ve long known that the Universe is expanding, causing distant galaxies to rush away from us at enormous speeds. But new and very accurate measurements show that this expansion is actually speeding up. Galaxies are rushing ever faster away from us, and something we haven’t seen before must be accelerating them. Astronomers call this mystery ‘dark energy.’”

In a nontechnical presentation suitable for ages 8 and up, Knacke will describe the observations that led the discovery of dark energy, and share telescope and satellite observations that astronomers hope will pin down dark energy’s role in the Universe. Astronomical viewing from Penn State Behrend’s Mehalso Observatory will follow the lecture, weather permitting.

Open House Nights in Astronomy are a public outreach program hosted by Penn State Behrend’s School of Science. For more information, phone the school at 814-898-6105.