Mike Stafford

FREWSBURG — The next in the Martz-Kohl Observatory’s lecture series, “The Origin and Evolution of Galaxies,” will be held at 7:30 p.m. Oct. 18 featuring Mike Stafford.

The universe is populated by a vast arrangement of large-scale structures consisting of stars and gas and dust called galaxies. Physicist Mike Stafford considers events starting “shortly” after the Big Bang and provides the current theory of where these structures came from and how they have changed over time. He will discuss the properties of galaxies and why they have those properties, how the galaxies evolve and how galaxies interact with each other. The talk will be non-mathematical. The physics needed to understand will be explained along the way.

Stafford, now semi-retired, taught at Penn State University full time and Gannon University as an adjunct for 37 years. His primary interest in physics is classical mechanics. Stafford is a licensed airplane pilot with single and multi-engine land certification. He is also a licensed parachute rigger and expert skydiver with 3,700 jumps.

“As a physicist, interested in everything, I am able to speak on any subject, sometimes coherently,” Stafford said.

This lecture is live at the Martz-Kohl Observatory and available online via Zoom. People are encouraged to come to the observatory to meet Stafford and join in the question-and-answer session after his talk. Later, tours are offered and, if the weather cooperates, viewing opportunities through the big telescopes.

For more information, visit martzobservatory.org.