Title: The Interstellar Medium Beyond 3 Dimensions

Abstract: The advent of precise, billion-star surveys have allowed us to make detailed three dimensional maps of our Galaxy for the first time. While these 3D maps are powerful tools in and of themselves, I will argue that by combining them with velocity information we can get unprecedented insight into how our universe produces the structures we see: Galaxies, spiral arms, molecular clouds, and stars. I will introduce you to the concept of Kinetic Tomography, and show a number of breakthroughs we’ve been able to make, answering some age-old questions about the structure and evolution of our Galaxy and galaxies like it, but posing many more. I’ll show you how we are just getting started, and how the next generation of surveys will likely upend our view again.

Astro Colloquium and 'coffee & cookies' department gathering (3:45-4:00pm)

Please click the link to join virtually: https://psu.zoom.us/j/92637070419