Cecilia Payne-Gaposchkin Lectures

The Cecilia Payne-Gaposchkin Lecture honors one of the great scientists of the 20th century. With her Ph.D. thesis on the abundance of the elements in stars, Payne-Gaposchkin began to invent observational astrophysics. Over the next five decades, her research covered many important issues in stellar astrophysics, including the evolution of binary and single stars, the structure of pulsating variables, the formation of O stars in the spiral arms of our galaxy, and sequential star formation in the Magellanic clouds. Her monographs inspired several generation of astronomers. And her popular books delighted readers with the wonders of the universe. The Cecilia Payne-Gaposchkin Lecture series was established in October 2000 during the centenary year of her birth. The goal of the series is to remember Payne-Gaposchkin by honoring a modern astrophysicist with broad accomplishments.

Click on the titles for abstracts and videos of the lectures (when available).