NEWS MEDIA AVISORY UT-Austin astronomer's black hole discoveries subject of NASA news conference

EVENT

Televised and Webcast news conference on a University of Texas at Austin astronomer’s black hole discoveries

WHEN

11 a.m. (CST), Tuesday, Sept. 17.

WHERE

The news conference, called a Space Science Update, will originate from NASA headquarters in Washington and will be carried live on NASA TV with two-way question-and-answer capability for reporters covering the event from participating NASA centers. It will also be Webcast live on the Internet at: http://www.nasa.gov.

NASA TV is broadcast on the GE2 satellite, Transponder 9C, at 85 degrees West longitude, frequency 3880.0 MHz, audio 6.8 MHz. Audio of the broadcast will be available on voice circuit at NASA's Kennedy Space Center, Fla., on 321/867-1220.

BACKGROUND

The latest findings from NASA's Hubble Space Telescope confirm for the first time that a previously undetected class of black holes has been found in an unlikely place — implying black holes are more common than previously thought. A press release from The University of Texas at Austin to follow at time of broadcast.

PANELISTS INCLUDE

Dr. Karl Gebhardt of the University of Texas at Austin
Dr. Roeland Van Der Marel of the Space Telescope Science Institute in Baltimore
Dr. Marcia Rieke of Steward Observatory at the University of Arizona, Tucson
Dr. Steinn Sigurdsson, of the Astronomy Department at Pennsylvania State University, University Park
Dr. Anne Kinney, director of the Astronomy and Physics Division in the Office of Space Science at NASA Headquarters, Washington (Panel Moderator)

CONTACT

Rebecca Johnson, University of Texas at Austin (512-475-6763)
Ray Villard, Space Telescope Science Institute, Baltimore (410-338-4514)

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