Finding Bumps in the Night: How Scientists Discover the Unknown

Harvard FAS

The universe is full of “bumps in the night”: cosmic explosions and mysterious signals that appear without warning. When scientists find unexpected results, how do we determine its origin, especially something never seen before? In this seminar, we will explore how raw observations of our universe turn into scientific discoveries using “transient phenomena” (like the explosive death of stars) as a case study.The seminar emphasizes science as a human and interdisciplinary endeavor. Students…