Dark Matter Day at Porto Planetarium free online session! Is this a great Halloween celebration or what?

The Day of Dark Matter is celebrated at Porto Planetarium- Living Science Centre to let you in one of the greatest mysteries of modern Astrophysics. Since Halloween is banging at our doors, what other great way could there be (you know, amid the pandemic and such) to commemorate the day of the year that is dedicated to remembering the dead, including hallows and ghosts? This online free event, via zoom, on 31st October, at 9pm will help understand that there's more to the Universe besides planets, stars, asteroids, comets and dust and so much more that no one can even explain. 

In fact, astronomers believe that as regards Dark Matter, which so far scientists have only been able to detect through gravitational interaction and which makes for circa 26,8% of the total of the Universe's mass/energy, there is also the Dark Energy, which is responsible for the accelerated expansion of the Universe, and that makes for circa 68. 3% of the total of the Universe's energy. The so called ?normal' matter, such as stars, planets, and galaxies only make for 4.9% of the total of the Universe.

So, there is a HUGE part of the Universe that we know nothing about. What is this Dark Matter? Can it be explained resorting to the laws of physics?

These are but some of the starting points to discovering a bit more about the Universe. Join Porto Planetarium on Halloween day and get to know more about this ?ghost of the Universe', a mystery that has intrigued astrophysics for over a century. The free event kicks off on 31st October, at 9pm, via zoom.

Saturday, 31st October 2020 - 9pm (Access via YouTube/IA)

PROGRAMME

9pm: Welcoming session by the Communication Group of Science and IA / Planetarium of Porto

9.15pm: Screening of the documentary "Phantom of the Universe: The Hunt for Dark Matter" (narrated in Portuguese) - See the trailer HERE.

9.45pm: Q&A session with IA researchers in the field of Cosmology, Pedro Avelino and Tiago Barreiro

Link to the event at the IAstro.pt.

Link to the event on Facebook.