Upcoming Events


We will be holding lectures at Anodyne Coffee on the following dates starting at 1pm. Each event typically lasts 45-60 minutes, and questions are encouraged! Please see a list of the planned and past events below. We will also be hosting livestreamed lectures on our YouTube Channel (link below).

CoffeeShop Astrophysics YouTube Channel


09/28/24: Galaxies: From Cradle to Grave – Prasanth Sukumar, Shashwat Sardesai, and Sarah Villanova Borges


At 2.5 million light-years from Earth, the Andromeda galaxy is the most distant object that a human can see with the naked eye. While it may seem like just a tiny blob of light against the night sky, Andromeda, along with billions of other galaxies in our universe, contain hundreds of billions of stars as well as more powerful compact objects lurking deep within their cores. Galaxies come in all shapes and sizes and reveal much about the dynamics and structure of our universe. Come to our talk and learn all about galaxies, from their humble beginnings to their strange and mysterious ends, and everything in between!


10/26/24: UW-Madison Astronomy on Tap 2: The Tappening – featuring special guests from UW-Madison


11/23/24: Cosmic Clutter - Akash Anumarlapudi, Leith Benali, and Laila Vleeschower


Satellites have become essential to modern life, even if we don’t always realize it. They enable remote communication, give us navigation directions on demand, assist in climate research, and can even be used as tools to uncover the mysteries of the Universe. But once they're in space, how long do they stay operational, and what happens when they stop working? With so many satellites orbiting Earth, what happens when it gets too crowded? These questions have been a core point in the development of international “Space Law.” Join us as we explore the fascinating world of satellites — their purpose, their risks, and how we manage the growing challenge of space debris.


12/7/24: Fine, we'll talk about aliens – Amanda Baylor, Ronan Humphrey, and Gabe Freedman

In 1950 during a lunchtime conversation at Los Alamos National Laboratory, physicist Enrico Fermi asked “where is everybody?“. Fermi then went on to estimate that given the number of stars in the Milky Way Galaxy and probability of Earth-like planets, we should have been contacted by extraterrestrials by then. If the universe is so vast, why do we seem to be alone in it? What about the “Wow!” signal or that face on Mars? Maybe we have had contact and just don’t know it! Join us to discuss extraterrestrial signals, unexplained phenomena, and the relationship between science and the public when it comes to the search for extraterrestrial life.





Past Talks Archive