Oort lecture by Prof. James Moran (Harvard University) on Supermassive Black Holes and Where to Find Them.

Supermassive black holes - or SMBHs in short -  are objects as massive as a million to a billion suns. Much of what we know about these Brobdingnagian beasts comes from tracking for example stars, masers and ionized gas clouds that swirl around them before finally being ingested.

In this Oort lecture, professor James (Jim) Moran, will take the public into the world of Supermassive black holes and discuss how world-wide arrays of radio telescopes operating in precise synchronism can be used to exquisitely track the cosmic debris surrounding SMBHs and help understand their nature.

After the lecture you are welcome to have a drink and a snack at the borrel in the Academy Building.

Reservations are needed if you want to attend this lecture at the Academy Building in Leiden. The lecture will also be live streamed. To receive the link you need to register, as well.

More information on the Oort lecture and registration via this website.

Note the optional pre-lecture drinks organized by VO-S. Details for these drinks can be found here.