Wednesday Mar. 7, 2018 at 7PM ET

Tickets for seats in the theatre will be available on Feb. 20, 2018 at 9AM ET

The live webcast will appear on this page

How big can a star get? Why would a star only pretend to explode? Can you hide one star inside another?

Take a tour of some of the strangest stellar phenomena in the universe during this talk featuring Emily Levesque. From the biggest, brightest, and most volatile stars to the explosive fireworks of core-collapse supernovae and the fascinating physics of gravitational waves, "weird" stars serve as a common thread for exploring our universe's history, evolution, and extremes. Levesque will discuss the history of stellar astronomy, present-day observing techniques and exciting new discoveries, and explore some of the most puzzling and bizarre objects being studied by astronomers today.

Emily Levesque is an Assistant Professor of Astronomy at the University of Washington in Seattle. Her research accolades include a 2017 Alfred P. Sloan fellowship in physics and 2014 Annie Jump Cannon research prize from the American Astronomical Society. She was both an Einstein and Hubble postdoctoral fellow at the University of Colorado, and received her PhD in astronomy from the University of Hawaii and her S.B. in physics from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

General Information:

Attendance to the lecture is free, but advance tickets are required. Due to the overwhelming response to past lectures, tickets will be honoured until 6:45 pm only. If you have not arrived by 6:45 pm your reservation may be filled by guests in our waiting line, and you may be asked to join the end of the waiting line.

Waiting Line Experience:

There will be a waiting line for last minute cancelled (or ‘no show’) seats on the night of the lecture. Doors open at 5:30 pm. Come to Perimeter and pick-up a waiting line chit at the Waiting Line sign and then participate in pre-lecture activities – no need to wait in line. An announcement will be made in the Bistro at 6:45pm if theatre seats are available. Note: you must arrive in person to be part of the waiting line and be in the Bistro when the waiting line announcement is made.

No Disappointments:

Everyone who comes to Perimeter will be able to participate in the lecture. The public lecture will be shown simultaneously on closed circuit television in the comfort of the licensed Black Hole Bistro for any members of the waiting line who are not able to get a theatre seat.

Live Webcast:

Enjoy the live webcast of Perimeter Institute Public Lectures from the comfort of your own home. Join us at 7pm ET night of the lecture and be part of the online audience.

For most lectures, the on-demand playback will be online within 24 hours of the live event. Check Perimeter’s YouTube channel for the on-demand videos.