Astronomy and Astrophysics Research Day at North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences

, LLC The NC Museum of Natural Sciences is a research-based museum with Museum staff who conduct novel research and steward our collections. The museum's Research Highlight Days feature these researchers and their fields of study. On Saturday, November 7, 2026, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., NCNMS is hosting Astronomy and Astrophysics Research Day. The event will takes place on the first and third floors of the Nature Research Center, 121 West Jones Street, Raleigh, North Carolina. This is a free event. Presentations 11 AM Observing Massive Stars in the Galaxy Dr. Rachel Smith, NC Museum of Natural Sciences Dr. Rachel Smith will present her current research on the formation of planetary systems in the Galaxy. Highlights will be recent observations of massive young stars, including a unique “runaway” star, obtained with the NASA Infrared Telescope Facility in Hawaii. 12 PM Making Sense of Spiral Galaxies: How Volunteers and AI Team Up to Identify Individual Spiral Arms Dr. Patrick Treuthardt, NC Museum of Natural Sciences The winding arms of spiral galaxies are one of their most obvious features. By measuring how tightly the arms are wrapped, we can reveal clues about other components that are much harder to observe, such as dark matter content and central black hole mass. By partnering volunteers with AI, we aim to identify individual spiral arms in tens of thousands of galaxies, measure how tightly each arm is wound, and use those measurements to estimate these elusive properties.

Last updated October 30, 2026