Perseids Party and Astronomy lecture

School of Optometry and Vision Science - Room 347

Wednesday, Aug 12, 2026 at 7:30 PM  - 11:00 PM EDT 

{ "name":"Perseids Party and Astronomy lecture", "description": "https:\/\/ticketfi.com\/event\/7059\/perseids-party-and-astronomy-lecture\n\nExplore the night sky with astronomers from the Faculty of Science and Royal Astronomical Society of Canada. The Perseids meteor shower will be at its most spectacular, so let's gather to learn something and then enjoy the view! We will meet first at 7:30pm in the nearby Optometry building for a short lecture by the Waterloo Centre for Astrophysics' Director, Dr. Will Percival, on “How to measure the expansion of the Universe: the quest for the Hubble constant”.\n\nHow fast is the Universe expanding? The answer is encoded in the Hubble constant, one of the most important numbers in modern cosmology. Yet different methods of measuring it give conflicting results—a puzzle known as the Hubble tension. In this talk, we'll explore how astronomers measure the expansion rate using nearby stars, distant supernovae, and the afterglow of the Big Bang, why these measurements disagree, and what this discrepancy could reveal about the fundamental nature of the Universe. Is it a sign of hidden errors, or evidence for new physics beyond our current understanding?\n\nWe'll move to the Columbia Fields for stargazing after the lecture, around sunset. This is a family-friendly event, but if your kids will have trouble sitting through a lecture, you're welcome to join us on the Columbia Fields near Brubacher House around 8:30pm (choose the ticket "Perseids Party only").\n\nPlease note that if the skies are cloudy the lecture will still take place on August 12th, but we will not gather on the fields for stargazing. Please register so that we can keep you updated.\n \n\n \n\n \n\n \n", "startDate":"2026-08-12", "endDate":"2026-08-12", "startTime":"19:30", "endTime":"23:00", "location":"School of Optometry and Vision Science Room 347 - 200 Columbia St W Waterloo ON N2L 3G1 Canada", "label":"Add to Calendar", "options":[ "Apple", "Google", "iCal", "Microsoft365", "Outlook.com", "Yahoo" ], "timeZone":"US/Eastern", "trigger":"click", "inline":true, "listStyle":"modal", "iCalFileName":"invite.ics" }