15 Sept 2026 Meeting Jack Erskine Room 111 – Assoc Prof Paula Jofre

Kia ora

This months meetings begins with the New Astronomers session at 6:30pm discussing Getting started with Astrophotography.

Break and social time at 7:30pm followed by some brief messages and our guest speaker.

Phyogenetics of galaxies

Assoc Professor Paula Jofre
Institute of Astrophysical Studies at the Diego Portales University in Santiago de Chile

Phylogenetics is the technique used mainly in genetics to reconstruct evolutionary histories of living beings, but it can be used beyond that purpose. For example, phylogenetics has been used to reconstruct evolutionary histories of languages or cultures, and recently to reconstruct histories of galaxies.
In this talk I will explain the parallels in evolutionary biology with evolutionary astrophysics, and give a summary of the first results of phylogenetic analysis on theoretical models of galaxies, as well as on stars of the Milky Way.

Look forward to see you all there on Tuesday.