ITC Special Seminar - Nicholas Rattenbury (Univ of Auckland)

Date: 

Friday, January 20, 2017, 10:30am to 11:30am

Location: 

Pratt

"Time Domain Astrophysics: Planets, Anomalies, Space"

Abstract: In this overview, I will present some of the recent results from the Japan/New Zealand Microlensing Observations in Astrophysics (MOA) collaboration, including the evidence for the populations of free-floatingplanets and stellar mass black holes, and the most likely mass for cold planets.

NASA's WFIRST mission will perform microlensing observations as an extended science mission. In my talk I will outline our current plans for extending observations into the infra-red, image database analysis and multi-lens modelling work in preparation for the WFIRST microlensing programme.

Astronomy research and personnel at The University of Auckland has undergone a recent surge. I will round off my talk by describing our longer term plans to perfect our understanding of what the LSST data will yield via  microlensing.  And we're getting into CubeSats, as we will likely this year have -- in the form of US company Rocket Lab -- local cheap access to space.