The mysteries of black holes and the bizarre phenomena associated with these extreme objects will be discussed at Fiske Planetarium on the campus of the University of Colorado at Boulder during Professor Andrew Hamilton聮s "Black Holes and Relativity" show.
Hamilton聮s show kicks off Fiske Planetarium聮s fall 2000 schedule of monthly astronomy talks. The live talks are given by CU-Boulder professors.
Hamilton will present his show on Friday, Sept. 8, and Tuesday, Sept. 12 at 7:30 p.m. The show includes recent Hubble Space Telescope observations of possible black holes in distant galaxies and a look at other evidence of black holes in our own Milky Way galaxy.
"People are fascinated by what would happen if you went near or inside a black hole," Hamilton said. "I had no idea at the time that I selected the topic that black holes would prove so popular."
Black holes are believed to form when huge stars use up all of their nuclear fuel, causing their cores to collapse under the immense force of gravity. The gravity is so strong that nothing can escape it, not even light.
"I want to give the audience a perspective of what it might be like to fall into a black hole," Hamilton said, describing the show聮s scientifically accurate simulation of a one-way flight into a black hole.
Hamilton is currently researching the origins of the universe. For more information about black holes visit Hamilton聮s Web site "Falling Into a Black Hole" at .
Admission for the show is $4 for adults and $3 for children and seniors. Tickets go on sale at 7 p.m. the night of the show.
Fiske Planetarium is located at Regent Drive and Kittredge Loop Drive on the CU-Boulder campus.
For more information about Fiske Planetarium and other shows and programs it offers to the public and educators, call (303) 492-5001 or visit the Web site at .