Night Sky Network members are invited to join Dr. Eliot Quataert on Tuesday, June 21, 2022 at 6:00 PM Eastern / 9:00PM Pacific, when he will discuss the latest Decadal Survey released this spring and plans for the next ten years of Solar System exploration, including a mission to Uranus.
An Overview of the 2020 Decadal Survey in Astronomy and Astrophysics
Every decade, the National Academy of Sciences, at the request of the National Science Foundation (NSF), the Department of Energy, and NASA, undertakes a survey of astronomy and astrophysics. The purpose of the survey is to identify the most exciting science questions for the coming decade and to prioritize which telescopes the federal government should invest in to best address those questions. Previous decadal surveys have recommended and ultimately led to some of your favorite national telescopes: e.g., the Hubble Space Telescope and the Very Large Array. A second goal of the survey is to assess the state of the profession, e.g., the diversity of the field, the balance of funding across large and small projects, and other related topics. In this talk I will describe the decadal survey process and the major recommendations of the 2020 Decadal Survey. The scientific opportunities in the coming decade are tremendously exciting and cover topics ranging from the search for life on other planets to studies of collisions of black holes and neutron stars with both gravitational waves and light. The project recommendations made by the 2020 Decadal survey are likely to shape the major astronomical projects that NSF and NASA undertake in the coming decades.
About Our Speaker
Dr. Eliot Quataert is a Professor of Astrophysical Sciences and the Charles A. Young Professor of Astronomy at Princeton University. Quataert is an astrophysics theorist who works on a wide range of problems, including stars and black holes, plasma astrophysics, and how galaxies form. He has received a number of national awards for his research, including the Warner Prize of the AAS, the Packard Fellowship, a Simons Investigator award from the Simons Foundation, and elected membership in the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and the National Academy of Sciences. Quataert is also a highly regarded teacher and public lecturer.
Registration and Additional information for Members:
Public Livestream & Recording (YouTube)
The talk will also be streamed live at the YouTube link below. Please note that questions submitted via the Zoom QA feature will have priority over YouTube chat.
Link: https://youtu.be/RtSXBioM2lk
After the event, this recording will join past webinars featuring NASA speakers on the NSN YouTube page.
Click here to see a list of all previous webinars
Upcoming Webinars (all webinars are at 6pm PT/9pm ET)
Public Links to Upcoming Webinars
Your NSN login may be required to access the following:
June 14: NSN Member Summer Social Series:What Are Your Outreach Essentials?
June 21: The 2020 Decadal Survey in Astronomy and Astrophysics
Previous NSN Webinars
Credit: Artist's impression of L 98-59 b. (ESO/M. Kornmesser); inset courtesy Colby Ostberg
Night Sky Network members joined Dr. Kelly Lepo on May 19, 2022, when she presented her talk: What to Expect from the James Webb Space Telescope’s First Year of Science.
The James Webb Space Telescope, NASA's latest flagship space observatory, launched in December 2021 and is ready to explore the universe. In this presentation, Dr. Lepo will provide an update on the telescope’s status, discuss the challenges of infrared astronomy, and how Webb will address these challenges while helping to answer some of the biggest questions in astronomy. She will also discuss ways you can celebrate the release of Webb’s first images.
Find links to the recording and further resources on its resource page.
Click here to see a list of all previous webinarsNight Sky Network members joined Dr. Kelly Lepo on May 19, 2022, when she presented her talk: What to Expect from the James Webb Space Telescope’s First Year of Science.
The James Webb Space Telescope, NASA's latest flagship space observatory, launched in December 2021 and is ready to explore the universe. In this presentation, Dr. Lepo will provide an update on the telescope’s status, discuss the challenges of infrared astronomy, and how Webb will address these challenges while helping to answer some of the biggest questions in astronomy. She will also discuss ways you can celebrate the release of Webb’s first images.
Find links to the recording and further resources on its resource page.
PAST WEBINAR RECORDINGS
All past webinars are also available on the NSN YouTube page.
Last Updated: May 20, 2022
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Night Sky Network (NSN) member clubs are dedicated to bringing the wonders of space and NASA science to folks across the USA.NSN program participation provides clubs with tools and resources to assist in their public outreach.
Follow us on Facebook , Twitter and Instagram for the latest NSN news and outreach photos, and subscribe to our YouTube channel for recordings of monthly astronomy webinars and archives of our outreach toolkit demonstration videos. #NightSkyNetwork #AstronomyOutreach
Night Sky Network (NSN) member clubs are dedicated to bringing the wonders of space and NASA science to folks across the USA.NSN program participation provides clubs with tools and resources to assist in their public outreach. 
The NASA Night Sky Network is managed by the Astronomical Society of the Pacific. The ASP is a 501c3 non-profit organization advancing science literacy through astronomy.