by Carl Kruse
On Wednesday, May 20, 2026 at 7 pm (PDT), Dr. Hakeem Oluseyi, the CEO of the Astronomical Society of the Pacific, will give a free, non-technical lecture entitled: “Why Do We Exist? The Nine Realms of the Universe That Make You Possible” in the Smithwick Theater at Foothill College, in Los Altos, California (see directions below).
The talk is part of the Silicon Valley Astronomy Lecture Series, now in its 27th year.
The story of our existence can be told as a passage through nine interwoven realms—each revealing a new layer of cosmic information. For example, there’s the Middle Realm, where we humans live; the Realm of Life, where organisms flourish across the vastness of space; the Cosmological Realm, where galaxies dance and collide; the Dark Realm, dominated by unseen energy and invisible forces, and the Quantum Realm, where reality defies intuition. In this talk, based on his newly published book, Why Do We Exist?, Dr. Oluseyi explores these realms with clarity, humor, and honesty. The result is both a blueprint for understanding reality and a surprising case for human potential in an indifferent cosmos.
Hakeem Oluseyi is an astrophysicist, inventor, and award-winning science communicator. He serves as CEO of the Astronomical Society of the Pacific and as a public spokesperson for NASA’s IMAP mission. He is the author of the critically acclaimed, award-winning memoir A Quantum Life and the recently released Why Do We Exist? The Nine Realms of the Universe That Make You Possible. Oluseyi has held professorships at Florida Institute of Technology, MIT, Princeton, the University of Cape Town, and other leading institutions, and published more than 100 scientific papers. He is also known for his media and public engagement with audiences worldwide.
Foothill College is just off the El Monte Road exit from Freeway 280 in Los Altos.
For directions and parking information, see: https://connect.seti.org/e/972893/parking-/5ngqb/528588159/h/RoT2kJAQobihjjkk1BW_etBub-rhOwKtrXPBzy5UZs8
For a campus map, to find the Smithwick Theater (Bldg. 1000), see:
https://connect.seti.org/e/972893/map-/5ngqf/528588159/h/RoT2kJAQobihjjkk1BW_etBub-rhOwKtrXPBzy5UZs8
Note: Parking lot 1 is closest, near access to the theater by stairs. Parking lot 5 provides access from the same elevation as the theater.
The lecture is co-sponsored by:
- The Foothill College Science, Tech, Engineering & Math Division
- The SETI Institute
- The Astronomical Society of the Pacific
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This Carl Kruse Blog homepage is at https://carlkruse.org
Contact: carl AT carlkruse DOT com
Other lectures of the Silicon Valley Astronomy Lecture Series covered by the blog include The Many Roles of Water in Making Planets Habitable.
Also find Carl Kruse on Threads. Carl Kruse has an old blog at https://carlkruse.blogspot.com/