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SAAO Cape Town Open Night
March 9 @ 8:00 pm - 10:00 pm
This week’s speaker: Dr Michael Sarkis
The SAAO Open Nights in Cape Town take place on the second and fourth Saturday of every month at 20:00.
Please email enquiries@saao.ac.za if you have any queries regarding bookings and tours for Cape Town Open Nights.
Speaker: Dr Michael Sarkis
Michael Sarkis, currently a postdoctoral researcher at Stellenbosch University, focuses on exploring the indirect detection signatures of astrophysical dark matter, with particular emphasis on axion-like particles and WIMPs. He completed his PhD at the University of the Witwatersrand in Johannesburg, where he was also involved in founding the Wits Astronomy Club student society. Engaging in these studies has provided him with opportunities to participate in outreach activities aimed at sharing the wonders of astronomy with the public, a pursuit he finds deeply fulfilling.
He has a keen interest in unraveling the mysteries of the universe and derives satisfaction from developing code capable of simulating both observable and imperceptible phenomena. In his leisure time, he indulges in activities such as tinkering with computers, playing soccer, and immersing himself in the realms of science fiction or fantasy literature.
Title: The Dark Side of the Universe
Abstract: When we look up into the sky on a clear night, we can see thousands of stars shining brightly against the dark backdrop of space. Like our sun, these stars are producing their light, which makes them easy to see. Could there be other things out there in the expanse of space that aren’t so easy to see? It turns out that the universe is full of other kinds of interesting and mysterious objects that are not visible, with clues to their existence only inferred from their gravitational effects on other, visible, objects. In this talk, I will give a basic overview of our current understanding of the Dark Universe, which covers why we think things like dark matter and dark energy exist, what we think they might be made of, and how we might one day reveal them.