Museum Lectures

2012 Isaac Asimov Memorial Debate: Faster Than the Speed of Light

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CERN's Large Hadron Collider, the world's largest particle accelerator. The LHC was part of a recent experiment that detected particles appearing to travel faster than the speed of light.
© CERN

LeFrak Theater
Simulcast in Kaufmann Theater

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Einstein on Trial: Testing Relativity

Einstein’s Theory of Special Relativity has been tested with ever-increasing precision since its publication in 1905. One of its key predictions is that only light itself can travel at the speed of light. Any particles moving faster must be traveling backward in time. Einstein's Theory of General Relativity makes even more audacious predictions about curved space and time.

Two recent papers by a large consortium of physicists using the world’s most powerful accelerator are claiming the discovery of neutrinos moving at speeds slightly in excess of the speed of light. Sensitive tests of spacetime curvature and dragging are made possible by state-of–the art telescopes and satellites. Einstein might be wrong. Our understanding of space, time, mass, and energy all hang in the balance until we know if, or how relativity theory fails.

This year’s Asimov debate will pit some of the experimentalists who claim to have discovered faster-than-light neutrinos against their strongest critics, as well as other teams who are racing to test relativity with unprecedented precision.

Join Director of the Hayden Planetarium Neil deGrasse Tyson as he hosts and moderates six of the world’s leading voices in this great scientific debate. To watch the debate streamed live, tune in to amnh.org/live on the evening of Tuesday, March 20. 

Dr. David Cline, Department of Physics and Astronomy, UCLA
Dr. Gian Giudice, Theoretical Physics Division, CERN
Dr. Sheldon Glashow, Department of Physics, Boston University
Dr. Chris Hegarty, MITRE’s Center for Advanced Aviation System Development
Dr. Laura Patrizii, Department of Physics, University of Bologna
Dr. Gabriela Gonzalez, Professor of Physics and Astronomy, Louisiana State University

The late Dr. Isaac Asimov, one of the most prolific and influential authors of our time, was a dear friend and supporter of the American Museum of Natural History. In his memory, the Hayden Planetarium is honored to host the annual Isaac Asimov Memorial Debate-generously endowed by relatives, friends, and admirers of Isaac Asimov and his work-bringing the finest minds in the world to the Museum each year to debate pressing questions on the frontier of scientific discovery. Proceeds from ticket sales of the Isaac Asimov Memorial Debate benefit the scientific and educational programs of the Hayden Planetarium.