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The latest developments in cosmic explosions, such as the death of stars, are the subject of a public lecture at The University of Western Australia, tomorrow by internationally renowned astronomer Professor Shri Kulkarni.

Professor Kulkarni, MacArthur Professor of Astronomy and Planetary Science at California Institute of Technology, will summarise new types of cosmic explosions - or gamma ray outbursts - uncovered over the past decade and speculate on new classes of cosmic explosions.

Astronomers have found the most notable cosmic explosions are supernovae, which mark the death of massive stars.  The explosions create heavy elements that are critical for our existence.

Professor Kulkarni uses telescopes and builds instruments to study the death of stars, pulsars and neutron stars.

Professor Kulkarni is Chairman of NASA's Space Interferometer Mission PlanetQuest, a Fellow of the Royal Society (London), member of the National Academy of Sciences (USA) and Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences (Boston).

The lecture forms part of the Deep Surveys of the Radio Universe with Square Kilometre Array Pathfinders Conference 2008 being held at UWA this week.  The five-day conference will feature work by Australian and international astronomers on SKA-related science and technology.

For more information about the lecture or the conference, contact the Institute of Advanced Studies on 6488 1340 or go to https://ska2008.ivec.org/index.php

The lecture is free, open to the public and can be heard in UWA's Octagon Theatre from 6-7pm on Tuesday, April 1, 2008.  Enter UWA from Stirling Highway or Hackett Drive.

Media references

Professor Lister Stavely-Smith (Chair of SKA Conference)  61 8  6488 4550
Audrey Barton (Institute of Advanced Studies)  61 8  6488 1340  /  0439 928 392
Janine MacDonald (UWA Public Affairs)  61 8  6488 5563  /  0432 637 716