Next Astronomy Lecturer Shares Hubble History and Pictures Feb. 26

MELBOURNE, FLA. —Florida Institute of Technology’s Department of Physics and Space Sciences will host Zoltan Levay for the upcoming astronomy lecture Feb. 26. His lecture, “Pictures from Data:Unveiling Hubble’s
Colorful Universe,” will be held on campus in the F.W. Olin Engineering Complex, Room EC118, at 8 p.m.

Levay, the imaging group lead in the Office of Public Outreach at Space Telescope Science Institute in Baltimore, Md., since 1993, is responsible for producing publicly accessible images from Hubble Space Telescope data to illustrate Hubble’s science discoveries. He is a member of the Hubble Heritage Team, which strives to establish a repository of the finest Hubble visual imagery.

Levay will discuss the Hubble Space Telescope’s history after almost 20 years in operation and how it has been repaired and upgraded by Shuttle astronauts. He will also share Hubble’s important science discoveries and the images it has produced, explaining how the color images are made.

“Starting with data from Hubble’s cameras intended for science analysis, we combine several of these images made through different color filters to reconstruct a full color picture,” Levay said. “We use standard digital photography techniques and art principles to make sure that as much as possible of the information inherent in the data is made visible in the images.”

Levay is a recipient of the Excellence in Outreach Award from Goddard Space Flight Center, Space Telescope Science Institute Individual Achievement Award and the Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy Service Award.

The F.W. Olin Engineering Complex is located on University Boulevard. For more information, call (321) 674-7717 or visit www.fit.edu/aapls.