EB Astro: Ancient Variable Stars Illuminating the Secrets of our Galaxy (Hybrid)

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EB Astronomy Club presents, "RR Lyrae Stars: Ancient Variable Stars Illuminating the Secrets of our Galaxy"

RR Lyrae (RRL) stars, a class of intrinsically variable stars, have been used for over a century as 'standard candles' to measure distances far into the stellar halo of our galaxy, the Milky Way. Recently, we have begun to use the velocities of these stars to explore our galaxy's mass and structure. While the intrinsic variability of RRLs aids in their reliability as a distance indicator, it complicates precisely measuring their radial velocities (rv) and the errors associated with those measurements. The Sloan Digital Sky Survey V (SDSSV) is obtaining spectra of over 50,000 RRL stars! Through combining this incredible dataset with another cutting edge night sky survey from the Gaia Space Telescope survey, we are creating the largest every set of calibrated RRL velocities! In this talk, I will introduce this historic and critical type of evolved star, RRLs, discuss how we are calibrating velocity measurements from SDSSV to the stars' variability phase based on Gaia data, and highlight the ground-breaking ways these ancient stars are being used to unlock secrets of our own galaxy.

Dr. Katy Rodriguez Wimberly is an Assistant Professor of Physics and Astronomy at CSU San Bernardino, specializing in Near-Field Cosmology and the evolution of ultrafaint dwarf galaxies. A passionate advocate for equity in STEM, she serves as Director of Mentorship for the Cal-Bridge Program and sits on the Astronomical Society of the Pacific’s Board of Directors. A first-generation college graduate and Southern California native, Katy's journey spans Mt. San Antonio College to a Ph.D. from UC Irvine and a prestigious NSF MPS Ascend Fellowship at UC Riverside. Outside academia, she enjoys hiking, anime, and adventures with her two young children.

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The East Brunswick Astronomy Club (EBAC) was founded with the mission of encouraging and promoting an interest in astronomy and space science throughout East Brunswick and beyond. EBAC meets once a month at the East Brunswick Public Library and meetings typically include a short lecture, open discussion, and telescope observing.

This group is open to adults, teens, and families with children ages 12 and younger.