Astronomy on Tap Madison

06/11/2024

AoT is TOMORROW!!! Join us at the Chazen museum of art at 7pm to hear Dr. Trey Wenger give a talk about the wonders of radio astronomy! 🛰🔭⭐️

The stuff we call “light” exists beyond what we call “visible.” From X-rays to infrared light and microwaves, the vast spectrum of electromagnetic radiation allows astronomers to uncover the nature of the cosmos. The detection of cosmic radio waves nearly a century ago revolutionized astronomy. Dr. Wenger will describe the early history of radio astronomy, the greatest discoveries, and the on-going research at UW-Madison.’

06/10/2024

AoT is TWO DAYS AWAY!!! 😍 This is a special week as we will be hosting our event at the Chazen Museum of Art ! Join us on June 12th and listen to Dr. Thomas Beatty deliver his talk on the physics of Star Trek 💫🪐🚀

Is warp drive possible? How do transporters work? Hear about some of the actual physics behind Star Trek, and why going boldly in real life is a bit harder than they make it look on the screen.

06/09/2024

We have an important update! We just added a third speaker to our AAS event this week at the Chazen. Meet Dr. Thomas Connor who will be joining us this Wednesday at 7pm to give a talk on the Chandra X-ray Observatory🛰🔭⭐️

Thomas Connor is an astrophysicist at the Center for Astrophysics | Harvard & Smithsonian, where he works in the Director's Office of the Chandra X-ray Center. Prior to this, he earned his PhD from Michigan State University and spent several years in Pasadena, California, working at the Carnegie Observatories, NASA JPL, and Caltech. His work focuses on understanding the biggest things in the Universe -- the first-formed supermassive black holes, the most massive clusters of galaxies, and the Cosmic Web itself -- using the Chandra X-ray Observatory alongside other telescopes, both in space and on the ground.

06/08/2024

Join us June 12th at 7pm for Astronomy on Tap at the Chazen museum of art! 🔥🔥🔥 In 4 days hear Dr. Trey Wenger give a talk about the greatest discoveries of radio astronomy and on-going research at UW-Madison!

Trey is a postdoctoral fellow in the Department of Astronomy at UW-Madison. He received his PhD from the University of Virginia in 2019, and then was a postdoctoral fellow at the Dominion Radio Astrophysical Observatory in Canada. Trey is a radio astronomer who uses the locations of star forming nebulae to map the structure of our Galaxy, the Milky Way.

06/06/2024

AoT is less than one week away!!! 😍 This is a special week as we will be hosting our event at the Chazen museum of art! Join us on June 12th and listen to Dr. Thomas Beatty deliver his talk on the physics of Star Trek 💫🪐🚀

Thomas Beatty is a professor in the University of Wisconsin's Department of Astronomy, specializing in the detection and atmospheric characterization of exoplanets. In another timeline, Captain Thomas Beatty is a member of Starfleet's Research and Development Organization and spends his time in New York City, Earth, and Starbase 324. Capt. Beatty previously served tours at the Daystrom Institute, aboard the USS Intrepid, and aboard USS Hood with Captain DeSoto. Capt. Beatty is a graduate of Starfleet Academy.

05/20/2024

AoT is TOMORROW 🔥🔥🔥 Join us at and listen to Brooke Kotten talk about physics behind the Northern lights!🌞🌌

The aurora borealis, or Northern lights, we view on Earth are caused by a raging Sun, which is set to reach peak activity this year. We will explore the science behind these auroral events and the best times and places to view them. In addition, do aurora occur on other planets? Find out what they would look like and how we detect them.

05/20/2024

AoT is TOMORROW 🔥🔥🔥 Join us at and hear Dr. Jim Lattis talk about the Washburn Observatory and the history of astronomy in Wisconsin! 🌕🪐🔭

In the early 20th Century, as astrophysics emerged as a discipline distinct from traditional astronomy, Wisconsin astronomers played a key role in developing technologies, methods, and scientific advances that transformed both the science and how we view our place in the universe.

05/19/2024

AoT is TWO DAYS AWAY 🔥🔥🔥 Join us on May 21st and listen to Dr Melinda Soares-Furtado talk about several upcoming NASA and ESA missions as well as techniques for detecting and characterizing exomoons! 🌕🪐💫

This decade promises significant advancements in moon exploration. Dr. Soares-Furtadodiscuss will discuss several upcoming NASA and ESA missions to Solar System moons, including efforts to probe subsurface oceans to assess the potential for the presence of life. Extending our exploration outside the Solar System, Dr. Soares-Furtado will describe techniques for detecting and characterizing exomoons, highlighting the role that the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope is well-positioned to play. Efforts over the next decade will undoubtedly deepen our understanding of moon formation and evolution, while also enhancing our knowledge of life-supporting conditions among several key Solar System moons.

05/17/2024

AoT is 4 DAYS AWAY 🔥🔥🔥 Join us on May 21st and listen to Brooke Kotten talk about the aurora borealis which is set to reach peak activity this year! 🌞🌌

Brooke Kotten is a graduating astronomy-physics undergraduate at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. During her time as an undergraduate, she has conducted research in solar flare detections and planetary engulfment. In the fall, she will be joining the Astronomy PhD program as an NSF Graduate Fellow at the University of Michigan.

05/15/2024

AoT is 6 DAYS AWAY 🔥🔥🔥 Join us on May 21st and hear Dr. Jim Lattis talk about the Washburn Observatory and the history of astronomy in Wisconsin! 🌕🪐🔭

Jim Lattis is director of UW Space Place and a faculty associate in the UW-Madison Dept. of Astronomy. Lattis holds a PhD in History of Science, with specialization in history of astronomy, particularly astronomy in the age of Galileo, historical astronomical instruments, and Wisconsin astronomy. He teaches introductory astronomy courses as well as a course on the history of astronomy and cosmology. His book, with Kelly Tyrrell, Chasing the Stars, was just issued in May by Wisconsin Historical Society Press.

05/14/2024

AoT is ONE WEEK AWAY 🔥🔥🔥 Join us on May 21st at Working Draft Beer Company and listen to Dr Melinda Soares-Furtado talk about several upcoming NASA and ESA missions to Solar System moons, including efforts to probe subsurface oceans to assess the potential for the presence of life. 🌕🪐💫

Dr. Melinda Soares-Furtado is an incoming assistant professor in the Departments of Physics and Astronomy at UW-Madison. Currently, she holds a position as a NASA Hubble Postdoctoral Fellow at UW-Madison and MIT. She completed a PhD in Astrophysical Sciences at Princeton University and a Bachelor's of Science in Physics at the University of California, Santa Cruz. Melinda is an expert on stellar and exoplanetary astrophysics. She recently discovered a young, Earth-sized planet orbiting a Sun-like star. This discovery holds the record for the nearest, young Terrestrial world.

09/20/2023

Thanks to all who joined us last night for the first Astronomy on Tap of the new school year! ❤️ We'll see you for the next AoT on October 17th! 🌟

Can't wait that long? Come join us at Washburn Observatory on the first and third Wednesdays of the month for free public observing, weather permitting! 🔭

09/19/2023

Astronomy on Tap-Madison is happening TONIGHT!!!! 🔥🔥🔥

Come join us at 7:00 at Young Blood Beer Company northstreetmsn for a night of astronomy, trivia, games, music, and more!! 🎉

09/19/2023

Get ready for an out of this world evening of ✨ Cosmic 🧁Confections🎂, 🏗️Constructions🗺️, and 🍽️Consumptions🌌!

RSVP at the event page: https://fb.me/e/x4PdfEEq

Eclipse Glasses 👓 ☀️available as prizes or for a $2 donation!

Join us at our northstreetmsn location tonight for the first Astronomy on Tap Madison of the new school year! Our host will be bringing us a full night of astronomy, trivia, music, and more!

Here are the deets from AOT:
Join us for the first Madison, WI edition of Astronomy on Tap of the Fall 2023 season!
We are overjoyed to return to our third week of the month schedule as the academic year gets underway on September 19th at Youngblood Beer Company's Northstreet location!
We will have a fun night full of out-of-this-world astronomy content, we’ll have astronomy trivia, demos, and plenty of Q&A time to ask your UW-Madison astronomers about the local universe and beyond!

We will also have Solar Eclipse viewing glasses on hand (multiple pairs available for a suggested donation of $2) for you to prepare for the October 14th, 2023 Partial Annular Solar Eclipse!

See you tonight!

09/19/2023

The first Astronomy on Tap-Madison of the new season is coming to Young Blood Beer Company northstreetmsn TOMORROW!!!! 🎉🎉

Let's hear from Dr. Dan Rybarczyk, who will be talking about how we map our galaxy! 🗺

From Dan: In just the last few years, we’ve begun to map our Galactic neighborhood in 3D. We’re now learning about the structure of the Galaxy, how stars form, and more about our place in space. This talk will discuss how these revolutionary maps were made and why they matter. 💫

Image credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/R. Hurt (SSC/Caltech)

09/18/2023

The first Astronomy on Tap-Madison of the new season is coming to Young Blood Beer Company northstreetmsn TOMORROW!!! 🎉🎉

Professor Kate Grier will talk about what happens if you get too close to a black hole, come join us for a ripping good time! ⚫

Image Credit: Jim Henson Company/Hallmark Entertainment

09/16/2023

The first Astronomy on Tap-Madison of the new season is coming to Young Blood Beer Company northstreetmsn in 3 DAYS!!! 🔥

We will be hearing from grad student Estephani TorresVillanueva, who will tell us all how to make an exoplanet from scratch! 🥣

Image credit: ALMA (ESO/NAOJ/NRAO)

09/15/2023

The first Astronomy on Tap-Madison of the new season is coming to Young Blood Beer Company northstreetmsn in just 4 DAYS!!! 🎉💯

Let's meet postdoc Dr. Dan Rybarczyk, who will be talking about how to map the Milky Way! 🗺

Dan recently started a postdoc position at the UW–Madison department of astronomy, immediately after finishing his PhD here this past summer. He focuses on studying the gas and dust between stars in the Milky Way, mainly using radio telescopes. 📡

09/14/2023

The first Astronomy on Tap-Madison of the new season is coming to Young Blood Beer Company northstreetmsn in 5 DAYS!!! 🎉

Let's meet Professor Kate Grier, who will be talking about all things black holes! ⚫

Prof. Grier got her PhD from Ohio State in 2013, then was a postdoc at Penn State University until 2018, then was a postdoc at the University of Arizona for a year before becoming an Assistant Research Professor there, then (as of Fall 2022) she started as an Assistant Professor here at UW-Madison. She is an observational astronomer who studies supermassive black holes and quasars -- her main research focus is measuring the masses of supermassive black holes. 🌠

09/13/2023

The first Astronomy on Tap-Madison of the new season is coming back to Young Blood Beer Company northstreetmsn in 6 DAYS!!! 🔥

Let's meet grad student Estephani TorresVillanueva, who will talk all about how exoplanetary systems are made! 🛠

Estephani is a 2nd year astronomy grad student at UW-Madison. After completing a short stint of 5 years in the United States Navy she decided to pursue a Bachelor’s in physics at the University of Utah. She currently works on unraveling the mysteries of planet formation in the nearest star forming regions by using some of the worlds’ largest radio telescopes. In her free time, Estephani loves playing video games, building jigsaw puzzles, and spending time with her two cats. 🐈🐈

09/12/2023

WE'RE BACK!!!!! 🥳

Join us next Tuesday, 9/19 at Young Blood Beer Company northstreetmsn for the first Astronomy on Tap-Madison of the new school year! We'll have a full night of astronomy, trivia, music, and more! Hope to see you all there! 😄

Picture credit: Amblin Entertainment

06/21/2023

☀️🍻 oh what a night! ✨🎵
Thank you to all our returners, newbies, and accidental joiners for an awesome night closing for the inaugural AoTMadison season! 🍂Can’t wait to get back to it with you all in the Fall!💫

For those looking to play iSpy in the Night Sky all summer long, swing by Washburn Observatory on Wednesdays on campus or join us for a Universe in the Park (hosted through Badger Talks) event at Wisconsin State Parks and Natural Areas all summer long!

06/20/2023

TONIGHT!!! AT!!! Young Blood Beer Company northstreetmsn !!! 🔥🔥🔥

See you all at 8:00 tonight for space talks, games, music, and more! 🥳

06/19/2023

The last Astronomy on Tap-Madison is coming to Young Blood Beer Company northstreetmsn TOMORROW!!! 🎉🎉

Professor Kate Grier will talk about what happens if you get too close to a black hole, come join us for a ripping good time! ⚫

Image Credit: Jim Henson Company/Hallmark Entertainment

06/19/2023

The last Astronomy on Tap-Madison of the season is coming to Young Blood Beer Company northstreetmsn in just 2 DAYS!!! 🎉

Dr. Trey Wenger will be talking all about the Summer Solstice, join us for an enlightening talk! 🌞

Image credit: Michael Probst/AP

06/18/2023

The last Astronomy on Tap-Madison of the season is coming to Young Blood Beer Co northstreetmsn in 3 DAYS!!! 🔥

We will be hearing from grad student Estephani TorresVillanueva, who will tell us all how to make an exoplanet from scratch! 🥣

Image credit: ALMA; ESO/NAOJ/NRAO; A. Isella; B. Saxton NRAO/AUI/NSF

06/16/2023

The last Astronomy on Tap-Madison of the season is coming to Young Blood Beer Company northstreetmsn in 4 DAYS!!! 🎉

Let's meet Professor Kate Grier, who will be talking about all things black holes! ⚫

Prof. Grier got her PhD from Ohio State in 2013, then was a postdoc at Penn State University until 2018, then was a postdoc at the University of Arizona for a year before becoming an Assistant Research Professor there, then (as of Fall 2022) she started as an Assistant Professor here at UW-Madison. She is an observational astronomer who studies supermassive black holes and quasars -- her main research focus is measuring the masses of supermassive black holes. 🌠

06/16/2023

The last Astronomy on Tap-Madison is coming to Young Blood Beer Company northstreetmsn in 5 DAYS!!! 🎉

Let's meet Dr. Trey Wenger, who will be talking all about the Summer Solstice! 🌞

Dr. Wenger earned his PhD from the University of Virginia in 2019. Then he was a postdoc at Dominion Radio Astrophysical Observatory in British Columbia, Canada. He is currently a postdoc at UW-Madison. His research focuses on radio astronomy, massive star formation, and the structure of the Milky Way. 💫

06/14/2023

The last Astronomy on Tap-Madison of the season is coming back to Young Blood Beer Company northstreetmsn in 6 DAYS!!! 🔥

Let's meet grad student Estephani TorresVillanueva, who will talk all about how exoplanetary systems are made! 🛠

Estephani is a 2nd year astronomy grad student at UW-Madison. After completing a short stint of 5 years in the United States Navy she decided to pursue a Bachelor’s in physics at the University of Utah. She currently works on unraveling the mysteries of planet formation in the nearest star forming regions by using some of the worlds’ largest radio telescopes. In her free time, Estephani loves playing video games, building jigsaw puzzles, and spending time with her two cats. 🐈🐈

06/09/2023

Join us for the final Madison, WI edition of Astronomy on Tap Madison of the season on June 20th!

More info from the AoT crew:
We will have a fun night full of out-of-this-world astronomy content; we’ll have astronomy trivia, demos, and plenty of Q&A time to ask your UW-Madison astronomers about the local universe and beyond!

In addition, we’ll have astronomy trivia, ASTRO (BINGO), and plenty of Q&A time to ask your UW-Madison astronomers about the local universe and beyond!

You can RSVP on their Facebook event and follow them on IG for more info!