The Milky Way as a Dark Matter Laboratory

More than 80% of the material universe consists of stuff we don't understand. This "dark matter" gravitates, but it does very little else; in particular, it doesn't emit, reflect, or even absorb light. Over the next decade, a combination of astronomical observations and particle physics experiments hold great promise to finally shed light on the nature of dark matter.

This lecture will be followed by a guided tour of the night sky provided by Paul Salazar, the Urban Astronomer. Then, true space cadets are invited to walk to the nearby Rock Spring parking lot to peer through telescopes of the San Francisco Amateur Astronomers.