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The Ultimate Zoom Lens: An Unusual Way of Capturing Photos of Exploding Stars


April 2, 2026
20:00 EST


Room 102, McLennan Physical Laboratories, 255 Huron St
Toronto, Ontario, Canada

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Credit: Daniƫlle Futselaar

Talk Abstract

Ever wonder how astronomers take photos of distant exploding stars? Or have you ever wondered: "what's the point of studying these explosions anyway?"? In this public talk, I will walk you through a technique used by astronomers, originally developed for telecommunications during the 1900s, to answer these exact questions. With a live demonstration, you'll gain intuition into the underlying methods that astronomers use on a day-to-day basis while simultaneously exploring what we can learn about our cosmic history through radio astronomy.

About the Speaker

About the Speaker


Speaker

Mattias Lazda

Mattias is a 3rd year PhD candidate at the University of Toronto. He is originally from Montreal, Quebec and completed his undergraduate degree in physics at McGill University. In his research, Mattias builds radio telescopes and uses telescopes across the world to take photos of exploding stars millions of lightyears away. He loves going on roadtrips, camping and cooking.