The Leonard E. Parker Center for Gravitation, Cosmology and Astrophysics (CGCA) and the UWM Manfred Olson Planetarium are hosting an “Extreme Astronomy Cookout” on Saturday, April 28th. The free event will be a celebration of UWM’s contributions to cutting-edge astronomy especially in the discovery of gravitational waves. The “Extreme Astronomy Cookout” will feature food, music, stargazing shows in the planetarium, and short presentations from UWM professors about their current astronomical. The event will be held from 12 p.m. to 3 p.m.

Anyone who is curious about the cosmos will get a rare chance to learn from experts in the field about topics like black hole mergers, pulsars, star formation, gravitational waves, and the formation of early galaxies in our universe. These talks will be at 12:30, 1:00, 2:00, and 2:30 p.m.

Free planetarium programs will be offered at 12 and 1:30 p.m. The noon program will highlight basic, easy-to-find constellations such as the Big Dipper and Orion whereas the 1:30 p.m. program will include less-known constellations such as Hydra and the Northern Crown.

Planetarium staff will be grilling out a variety of food available for purchase throughout the day, while visitors relax outside with some music.