Niels Bohr Lecture by professor Amina Helmi

New views on the Galaxy from the Gaia space mission

Talk by: Professor Amina Helmi, Kapteyn Astronomical Institute in Groningen

Abstract:

The recent 2nd data release of the Gaia mission is revolutionizing our understanding of the Milky Way and its constituents. In this talk, I will highlight a few of the results stemming from the analysis of this truly spectacular dataset. In particular, I will focus on what we have learned about the dynamics and assembly of the Milky Way thus far. 

About the speaker:

Amina Helmi is full professor at the Kapteyn Astronomical Institute in Groningen. Her main research interests are galaxy evolution and dynamics, with emphasis on what can be learned from the nearby Universe, and in particular from our own Galaxy. She is one of the founders of the field of Galactic Archaeology. She has received numerous awards and prestigious grants, including most recently the Spinoza prize (the highest scientific distinction in the Netherlands). She is member of the Royal Holland Society of Sciences and Humanities and the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences (KNAW).  Since last year, Amina Helmi is Deputy Scientific Director of NOVA, the Netherlands Research School for Astronomy.