Steward Observatory/NSF's OIR Lab Joint Colloquium

Abstract: Thanks to the advent of ultra-wide cameras and large surveys, we are now entering an golden age of time-domain astronomy. In this talk, I will demonstrate how we can make use of these public surveys to facilitate our studies of many (if not every) aspects of astronomy. I will start with time-domain studies of M31, our closest neighboring spiral galaxy, to show how to use microlensing to constraint MACHO as dark matter, as well as using different variables to determine M31's properties, including serving as a distance anchor, its metallicity gradient and star formation process. I will then switch gear to on-going all-sky time-domain surveys, especially ZTF. I will also talk about the suites of tools and products at NSF's OIR Lab to enable a stream-lined, end-to-end follow-up network that maximizes the science output from timedomain surveys.