NASA scientist to lecture on blue planets, black holes

The mysteries of planet hunting, black holes and other cosmic phenomena will be the subject of a special public lecture by UW-Madison alumna and NASA scientist Anne Kinney on Friday, May 7.

The free noon lecture in Room 1300 Sterling Hall will provide an insider's look at the hunt for Earth-like planets beyond our solar system, a central theme of NASA's Exploration Initiative.

Kinney, who directs NASA's Astronomy and Physics Division, will also discuss black holes, ubiquitous "discontinuities in space-time" that inhabit the centers of galaxies. With the first hard evidence of black holes less than a decade old, Kinney will provide a glimpse of current progress and future missions to explore the still-mysterious objects.

Kinney, a 1975 graduate of UW-Madison in astronomy and physics, is being recognized this year by the Department of Physics with its Distinguished Alumni Award.