One of the Grand Challenges for modern-day astrophysics remains the fact that High Performance Computers predict that galaxies like our Milky Way should be surrounded by a several thousand-strong swarm of dwarf galaxy companions, while telescopes grudgingly allow for but a few dozen. This "missing satellite problem" has proven surprisingly resilient to theorists' best models, as they are a natural byproduct of the now-canonical cosmologies in which the large (and small) scale structure of the Universe assembles hierarchically. During my seminar, I will explore an alternate scenario - perhaps the missing satellites are not actually ``missing'' at all, but are instead "in disguise". Could the mysterious high-velocity clouds of gas that cover much of the sky -- which themselves have remained impervious to our attempts to uncover their origins -- be the answer? Could these clouds really be the long sought-after building blocks of massive galaxies? The strengths and weaknesses of this hypothesis will be explored, with an emphasis (obviously!) on the role that my Group has played in this mystery. The important links between theory and experiment will be stressed, and associated avenues of future research at WSU (and the resource implications) will form an important postscript to the seminar.

Please come meet the speaker over refreshments from 3:45-4:10pm in the foyer on floor G above the lecture hall. All Welcome Host: Mike Miller