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  • Oct
    23

    Appl Math: Meridith Joyce on "How to Find a Star by Accident, or How Not to Solve the Great Dimming of Betelgeuse"

    McCormick-Engineering Sciences and Applied Mathematics (ESAM)

    11:15 AM M416, Technological Institute

    EVENT DETAILS

    Title: How to Find a Star by Accident, or How Not to Solve the "Great Dimming" of Betelgeuse

    Speaker: Meridith Joyce, University of Wyoming

    Abstract: Alpha Orionis, popularly known as Betelgeuse, is a nearby red supergiant star visible to the naked eye. In light of the star's Great Dimming—a sudden, extreme drop in brightness that occurred in early 2020—a recent controversy surrounding Betelgeuse concerned whether it would explode as a supernova within the next few years, centuries, or millennia. Using a series of numerical techniques including one-dimensional stellar evolution models, hydrodynamic simulations, linear oscillation calculations, Fourier analysis, and the methods of a subfield of stellar astrophysics known as asteroseismology, my collaborators and I constrained the timeline for Betelgeuse's demise and revised many of the best estimates for its fundamental properties. In doing so, we discovered not only that Betelgeuse was not likely to undergo an imminent detonation, but that a pulsation signal unexplained by our models was, in fact, the signature of an as-yet-undiscovered binary companion. Its presence was confirmed earlier this year. What we never managed to do was explain the Great Dimming. In this talk, I will use the story of the discovery of Betelgeuse’s hidden, low-mass binary companion, Alpha Orionis B—affectionately nicknamed Betelbuddy—both to highlight the computational and numerical techniques employed in modern stellar astrophysics and to illustrate how the most meaningful discoveries often arise not from confirming what we set out to find, but from venturing down the rabbit holes of unexpected problems that emerge along the way.

    Zoom: https://northwestern.zoom.us/j/92966602010

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    TIME Thursday, October 23, 2025 at 11:15 AM - 12:15 PM

    LOCATION M416, Technological Institute    map it

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    CONTACT Ted Shaeffer    ted.shaeffer@northwestern.edu EMAIL

    CALENDAR McCormick-Engineering Sciences and Applied Mathematics (ESAM)

  • Sep
    14

    Welcome & Breakfast for New McCormick PhD Students

    McCormick School of Engineering and Applied Science

    9:00 AM LR2, Technological Institute

    EVENT DETAILS

    TIME Monday, September 14, 2026 at 9:00 AM - 10:30 AM

    LOCATION LR2, Technological Institute    map it

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    CONTACT Andi Joppie    andi.joppie@northwestern.edu EMAIL

    CALENDAR McCormick School of Engineering and Applied Science

  • Sep
    22

    Welcome & Luncheon for New Full-time Graduate Students

    McCormick School of Engineering and Applied Science

    11:00 AM Ryan Family Auditorium, Technological Institute

    EVENT DETAILS

    TIME Tuesday, September 22, 2026 at 11:00 AM - 12:30 PM

    LOCATION Ryan Family Auditorium, Technological Institute    map it

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    CONTACT Andi Joppie    andi.joppie@northwestern.edu EMAIL

    CALENDAR McCormick School of Engineering and Applied Science

  • Sep
    23

    Fall 2026 Classes Begin

    University Academic Calendar

    All Day

    EVENT DETAILS

    TIME Wednesday, September 23, 2026

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    CONTACT Office of the Registrar    nu-registrar@northwestern.edu EMAIL

    CALENDAR University Academic Calendar