Weekly Space Hangout: March 11, 2020 – Dr. Jon Willis talks Galaxy Cluster XLSSC 122

Hosts: Fraser Cain (universetoday.com / @fcain)

Dr. Morgan Rehnberg (MorganRehnberg.com / @MorganRehnberg & ChartYourWorld.org)

Pam Hoffman (EverydaySpacer.com / @EverydaySpacer)

Chris Carr (@therealCCarr

This week we are airing Fraser’s PRERECORDED interview with Dr. Jon Willis, Associate Professor in the Department of Physics and Astronomy at the University of Victoria, Canada.

Jon lead the team of astronomers that recently discovered a galaxy cluster, XLSSC 122, that is 10.4 Billion years away making it one of the oldest objects ever spotted dating back to when the universe was a mere 3.3 billion years old. Upon further examination, the physical structure of XLSSC 122 belied its young age and appeared to be as mature as similar clusters in our current universe. This has led researchers to rethink their hypothesis about how structure forms in the universe.

Jon earned his Bachelors Degree in Physics and Astronomy from the University of Glasgow followed by his PhD in Astronomy from the University of Cambridge and Post-doc at the Catholic University in Santiago, Chile. He was a Science Fellow at the European Southern Observatory in Chile from 2002-2003. Since 2003 Jon has been a Professor of Physics and Astronomy at the University of Victoria.

You can read about the discovery and research into XLSSC 122 here: https://theconversation.com/new-clues-in-the-search-for-the-oldest-galaxies-in-the-universe-129612

You can learn more about Jon by visiting his homepage http://www.astro.uvic.ca/~jwillis/

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