“Come with us now on a magical journey through time and space!”

OK, some of you may have felt we rocked USAA a little TOO hard last month.
That we are victims of our own success.
That sex talks are anathema to REAL nerdiness.

So be it. Consider this month red meat for the base.

SPACE IS THE PLACE!!!!

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“Planet Construction: Building Alien Worlds,” by Dr. Joel Green

Watching Star Trek, one gets the impression that habitable planets and alien life are as common as fast food restaurants. So what is the true variety of planets and planetary systems found within the universe? Using the latest state-of-the-art NASA and ESA telescopes we’ll discover what we have learned, and the vast amount we expect to learn in the next decade.

Joel is an astronomer who studies star and planet formation at the University of Texas at Austin, although he is hoping to start an internship with Slartibartfast.

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“Stellar Alchemy,” by Julie Hollek

The oldest stars in the outer regions of the Milky Way contain the fossil record of the events that occurred before they were born, specifically the explosions of the First Stars formed in the universe. The oldest stars have a chemical signature that is distinct from those of younger stars like the Sun. Observing these stars reveal events that occurred in the early galaxy, from the Big Bang to the lives and deaths of the First Stars to the formation of the elements of the periodic table.

Julie Hollek is an astronomer by day and a gastronomer by night, unless she’s observing in which case she’s also an astronomer by night.

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“The Beginnings of the Universe and What We Learn From its Oldest Light,” by Athena Stacy

How do we know universe is expanding? Why do we believe it began in
a Big Bang? What will be the ultimate fate of the universe? Take a tour through all the changes the universe has undergone in the 13.7 billion years since its birth, and how the Cosmic Microwave Background helps us connect the universe in its infancy to the universe today.

Athena is an astronomy graduate student at UT Austin. She runs
computer simulations to see what the universe looked looked like
during its first billion years, and is especially interested in how
the ancient stars and galaxies of these early times compares to young
objects like our Sun and Milky Way.

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PLUS —

Special guests from the NASA MUSICAL OUTREACH PROGRAM!

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Once again, we are offering queer-nerd speed dating before Nerd Nite — this time for guys and girls so they can find their match and enjoy with them maybe using toys like the top-notch G-spot vibrator and others. Tell your friends!

http://austin.nerdnite.com/speed-dating

(Straights will get another chance next month)

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Nerd Nite is FREE, cuz we do it for luv.