Dear Friends of the Enrico Fermi Institute:

We cordially invite you to join us for the next series of the Arthur H. Compton Lectures. The Lectures have the purpose of bringing to the general public, to the friends of the Enrico Fermi Institute, to members of the University community, and to interested citizens of the Chicago area, a descriptive account of some of the frontiers of present-day science. We don't expect you to have a formal background in mathematics and the sciences, but we hope to appeal to your curiosity and we wish to share with you some of the excitement of modern scientific research.

In the upcoming series of lectures entitled: "Cosmic Fireworks ", Astronomy and Astrophysics Research Associate Frank Timmes will be discussing the art, science, and meaning of explosions in the universe. We'll peer into the heart of astrophysical thermonuclear flashes: how they occur, what we observe when we find them, and what they do for us. Exploration of new ways to model these explosive events on modern, parallel supercomputers will reveal how gold is made, where the oxygen we breath is produced, and the alchemy of the heavens. We'll examine what these blasts and bursts have to tell us about the diversity of life in the universe. Since recent observations of distant supernovae indicate that we live in a universe that is getting larger faster, we'll sketch out the contents of a universe that lasts forever, the physics of eternity.

In this series of lectures, we'll weave together into a coherent whole some of the recent developments in supernovae, terrestrial impacts, nuclear astrophysics, and life in the universe. A scientific background isn't required. Just bring your curiosity as we explore things that go boom in the dark night sky.

We hope you can join us for the first lecture on Saturday, April 5, 2003 at 11 AM in Room 106 of the Kersten Physics Building, 5720 South Ellis Avenue.

Cauldrons in the Cosmos, April 05 A rather singular bang, April 12 Extreme star warriors, April 19 Core collapse, April 26 Thermonuclear supernovae, May 03 Diamonds in the radioactive sky, May 10 Alchemy of the heavens, May 17 Terrestrial impacts, May 24 ... and out pop people ..., May 31 Astronomy of forever, June 07