Ashley Pagnotta

Post-doc, AMNH

Supernovae: Cosmic Candles of the Universe

Humans have long been interested in the history and fate of our Universe. In this talk, I will explain how astronomers used a particular type of supernova explosion to discover not only that the Universe expanding, but that its expansion is accelerating. Everything is flying apart faster and faster as time goes on. I will also discuss aspects of these supernova explosions that still baffle us and the work currently being done to understand them.