Space Cafe Tokyo, July 2026

This edition of Space Cafe Tokyo features a talk titled "Cosmic Mirages: Probing the Dark Universe" on strong gravitational lensing. When the gravity of a massive foreground object such as a galaxy or galaxy cluster deflects and magnifies light from a more distant galaxy, it can produce multiple images of the same source, a spectacular effect known as strong lensing. Dr. Ana Acebron of the Instituto de Física de Cantabria will explain how these cosmic mirages can be used to measure how fast the Universe is expanding, and even to predict when and where the next supernova will appear. She earned her PhD in Marseille in 2017 and held postdoctoral positions at Ben Gurion University and the University of Milan before joining IFCA as a Beatriz Galindo Fellow in late 2023. The evening takes place at Good Heavens British Bar in Shimokitazawa and pairs a science talk with drinks. Doors open at 7:30pm and the speaker starts at 8pm. Tickets are ¥1500 at the door (cash) and cover your first drink.