NASA scientist to lecture on blue planets, black holes

The mysteries of planet hunting, black holes and other cosmic phenomena will be the subject of a special public lecture by UW–Madison alumna and NASA scientist Anne Kinney on Friday, May 7.

The free noon lecture in Room 1300 Sterling Hall will provide an insider’s look at the hunt for Earth-like planets beyond our solar system, a central theme of NASA’s Exploration Initiative.

Kinney, who directs NASA’s Astronomy and Physics Division, will also discuss black holes, ubiquitous “discontinuities in space-time” that inhabit the centers of galaxies. With the first hard evidence of black holes less than a decade old, Kinney will provide a glimpse of current progress and future missions to explore the still-mysterious objects.

Kinney, a 1975 graduate of UW–Madison in astronomy and physics, is being recognized this year by the Department of Physics with its Distinguished Alumni Award.