Two Caltech astrophysicists will take over the back patio of Dog Haus Biergarten on Monday, Aug. 3, for a free evening of black holes, solar eruptions, pub trivia, and live rock music. The show is part of Astronomy on Tap Los Angeles, a monthly series fresh off its 150th episode and 10-year anniversary that has been turning a stretch of Green Street into a pop-up observatory since 2016.
Gabriel Muro, a senior postdoctoral fellow in Caltech's Department of Physics, opens at 7:30 p.m. with "Black Holes Tearing Apart Stars." Xiaoshan Huang, a Sherman Fairchild Postdoctoral Fellow in theoretical astrophysics, follows around 8:20 p.m. with "What Makes a Solar Eruption Extreme?" Huang's published research covers tidal disruption events and some of the most luminous stellar explosions on record.
The series is organized by Dr. Cameron Hummels, Caltech's Director of Astrophysics Outreach, and draws speakers from across Southern California's science institutions, including Carnegie Observatories, The Planetary Society, NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, UCLA, and Griffith Observatory.
No tickets, no reservations, no age limit. The event runs 7:30 to 9:30 p.m. on the outdoor back patio at 93 E. Green St. in Old Pasadena. Food and drinks are available at happy hour prices but entirely optional. Audience members can ask questions after each talk, and on clear nights, organizers set up guided telescope viewing between presentations.
Between talks, local rock musicians Jason Achilles and Forrest Mitchell perform live, and the crowd competes in astronomy-themed pub trivia with prizes awarded at 9 p.m.
Caltech has run the Los Angeles chapter since 2016, logging more than 140 Monday nights at the biergarten. The program celebrated its 10th anniversary with a multi-night run in June featuring guest speakers from UC San Diego, the University of Connecticut, McDonald Observatory, and the Max Planck Institute for Extraterrestrial Physics.
Astronomy on Tap is a global series of informal science talks held in bars and social venues, according to Caltech's outreach page. Presentations are recorded and posted to Caltech's YouTube channel in the days after each event for those who can't make it in person.
Organizers also plan to share information about the Wednesday, Aug. 12, total solar eclipse. The eclipse won't be visible from Pasadena but can be seen from Iceland, Greenland, and Spain.
The next Astronomy on Tap is scheduled for one Monday in September. Caltech's next outreach event is a Stargazing Lecture on Friday, Aug. 21, at 8 p.m.
Upcoming Pasadena community events:
- Monday, Aug. 3 — Astronomy on Tap, Dog Haus Biergarten, 93 E. Green St., 7:30–9:30 p.m. Free, all ages.
- Friday, Aug. 21 — Caltech Stargazing Lecture, 8 p.m.
- Tuesday, Aug. 25 — JPL livestream on Mars life evidence (free).
