Astronomers to "Converge" on Galactic Center

More than 100 astronomers will meet in Hawaii November 3-8, 2002, to discuss our understanding of the galactic center where it is believed that our galaxy plays host to a super-massive black hole. Reporters are invited to attend the conference at no charge by notifying Peter Michaud at the number/e-mail provided above.

Called "The Central 300 Parsecs," the conference is sponsored by several observatories on Hawaii's Mauna Kea to stimulate discussions and new understanding in this dynamic field of research. The conference will take place at the Keauhou Beach Resort near Kailua-Kona, on the west side of the Big Island.

"It is only recently that astronomers have had the tools necessary to understand the center of our galaxy with any certainty and the subject has attracted a very diverse group of scientists from theoreticians to astronomers studying light all along the electromagnetic spectrum," said Gemini Observatory Senior Scientist Tom Geballe, who chairs the conference's organizing committees.

The study of our galaxy's center has traditionally been a daunting task due to the gas and dust that obscures our view. In fact, it is estimated that in optical light, scientists can only probe to about 10% of the estimated 25,000 light years to the galactic core. However, by using the latest generation of infrared, radio, and X-ray sensitive instruments on ground-based telescopes and earth- orbiting observatories, scientists have been able to coax the core of our galaxy into revealing its secrets.

At the conference, scientists from over a dozen countries will share and discuss the most recent infrared observations of stars whirling rapidly about an ultradense central object that is generally (but not unanimously) believed to be a black hole with a mass equal to that of 2.6 million suns. Others will report on and try to explain the origin of the X-ray and radio radiation emanating from the vicinity of that object. In addition to the central massive black hole, the center of our galaxy is the location of the densest star cluster in the galaxy and a bizarre zoo of astronomical objects and phenomena, many of which also will be the subject of lectures and discussions.

More information on the conference, its participants and specific topics to be discussed can be found at: http://www.gemini.edu/science/gc_conf/

For Immediate Release

Media Contact:
Peter Michaud
Gemini Observatory, Hilo HI
(808) 974-2510
pmichaud@gemini.edu

Science Contact:
Tom Geballe
Gemini Observatory, Hilo HI
(808) 094-2519
tgeballe@gemini.edu

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