Looking for the First Stars with Satellite TV

The Big Bang theory, which explains the origin of our universe, is very well established today. We now have ample evidence that the universe originated from a hot singularity and cooled over time. There is still a missing piece in this puzzle though- the formation of the first stars! Our current theories predict that the first ever stars in the universe should have formed at a very specific time and over a relatively short period of time (by the universe standards at least). Is this true?

Seeing is believing, but looking for these very first stars is tricky. During my talk I will explain why this difficult and how, finally, we are the brink of discovering them. Currently there are multiple experiments competing with each other to find this "first light". I will talk about the telescope being built by the Astronomy Department at UC, Berkeley- how it is different from the other experiments underway and why I am betting my money on this one.

Speaker: Deepthi Bhavana Gorthi, UC Berkeley