Astronomy & Astrophysics Colloquium: Sydney Barnes - Gyrochronology: a route to the ages of cool field stars

The ages of astronomical objects, while not directly measurable, are of use in constructing chronologies, and the key to understanding origins. The ages of cool field dwarfs, although important in a Galactic context, are especially challenging to obtain. I will present a route to the ages of such objects that is called “Gyrochronology,” one based on the measured rotation periods of such stars.