What would happen to someone who fell into a black hole? Audience members will have a chance to find out at the CU Wizards show "Black Holes" on Saturday, June 15.
Professor Andrew Hamilton of the astrophysical and planetary sciences department will demonstrate the concepts of black holes in CU-Boulder's Fiske Planetarium at 9:30 a.m.
Volunteers from the audience will be invited to leap off a treadmill onto a crash mat to illustrate falling into a black hole. They also will learn why nothing can escape a black hole and what would actually happen to a person who fell into one.
The audience also will make tornadoes on stage during the show, and light the fuse of a gravity-powered jet. Hamilton said the session will be taped, so audience members can watch themselves jumping into the artificial black hole.
"Black Holes" is the final presentation of the 2001-2002 CU Wizards series which runs monthly from September to June and features presentations on astronomy, chemistry and physics. Though intended primarily for students in grades five through nine, the shows are educational and entertaining to people of any age.
Free parking for the June 15 show is available in lot 308 west of Fiske Planetarium and lot 436 east of the Engineering Center.
Anyone with a disability or special need should notify the physics office at (303) 492-6952 a few days prior to the show. For information about CU Wizards call (303) 492-4318 or visit the Web site at .