Space Telescope Science Institute

Title: The Circumgalactic Medium: What It Is, and Why It Matters

Abstract: The “Circumgalactic Medium” is the vast reservoir of diffuse gas surrounding
galaxies that acts as their fuel supply, waste dump, and recycling center. I will
talk about how we discovered and came to understand this important but
nearly invisible component of galaxies, and consider what we can do in the
future to fully map out how gas flows drive galaxy evolution. I will also bring
you inside efforts to build the next generation of Great Observatories that will
revolutionize our understanding of these Cosmic Origins over the next
few decades.

Host: Rongmon Bordoloi