Free Astronomy Public Lectures

Presented by Associate Professor Chris Blake on 11th October 2013.

As we peer out into space, what is the most distant light we can see? The answer is the cosmic microwave background radiation, the faint afterglow of the hot Big Bang across the sky, which has travelled for almost 14 billion years to reach us. Within the microwave background, at the edge of the observable Universe, we can see the tiny ripples out of which galaxies such as our own later formed. In this talk, Assoc. Prof. Chris Blake from Swinburne's Centre for Astrophysics and Supercomputing will explain the crucial importance of this faint radiation for establishing our modern picture of the Universe, and will describe recent breakthrough measurements from the European Space Agency's Planck satellite.

Presented by Dr Pamela Gay on 13th September 2013.

In order to handle the onslaught of data coming from space and ground-based telescopes, many astronomers are turning to the public for aid. The team behind the new CosmoQuest virtual research centre is building a first of its kind research community for professional and citizen scientists to work together on advancing our understanding of the universe; a community of people who are participating in doing science, and in learning about this cosmos we share. Working with NASA's Dawn, LRO, MESSENGER, and STScI teams, this facility is developing citizen science projects that accomplish needed tasks for mission science teams. It also provides a rich educational context through online classes, virtual star parties, and community collaboration areas. This talk will overview the history of citizen discovery and discuss CosmoQuest and how you can help discover our universe.

Presented by Dr Pamela Gay on 13th September 2013.

In order to handle the onslaught of data coming from space and ground-based telescopes, many astronomers are turning to the public for aid. The team behind the new CosmoQuest virtual research centre is building a first of its kind research community for professional and citizen scientists to work together on advancing our understanding of the universe; a community of people who are participating in doing science, and in learning about this cosmos we share. Working with NASA's Dawn, LRO, MESSENGER, and STScI teams, this facility is developing citizen science projects that accomplish needed tasks for mission science teams. It also provides a rich educational context through online classes, virtual star parties, and community collaboration areas. This talk will overview the history of citizen discovery and discuss CosmoQuest and how you can help discover our universe.

Presented by Syed Uddin on 9th July 2013.

Just over a century ago the fixed stars we see in the night sky were the limit of the entire Universe. The Universe was assumed to be static. Now we have discovered that our Universe is not only expanding but is also accelerating. Galaxies play an important role here. In this talk I will describe how our knowledge about the Universe as a whole is evolving over time with emerging techniques and technologies.

Presented by Syed Uddin on 9th July 2013.

Just over a century ago the fixed stars we see in the night sky were the limit of the entire Universe. The Universe was assumed to be static. Now we have discovered that our Universe is not only expanding but is also accelerating. Galaxies play an important role here. In this talk I will describe how our knowledge about the Universe as a whole is evolving over time with emerging techniques and technologies.

Presented by Dr Jonathan Whitmore on 17th May 2013

Two foundational physical theories of science: Quantum Physics and General Relativity are counterintuitive descriptions of reality. They also form the foundation upon which much of our modern technology depends: from MRI machines, to lasers, to GPS. The methods of science are not the methods of common sense -- in fact, relying on common sense will almost assuredly lead down a false path. This talk will include a brief history of the scientific method, its stunning successes over the centuries. It will conclude with examples of some of the strange features of both Quantum Physics and General Relativity.

Presented by Dr Jonathan Whitmore on 17th May 2013

Two foundational physical theories of science: Quantum Physics and General Relativity are counterintuitive descriptions of reality. They also form the foundation upon which much of our modern technology depends: from MRI machines, to lasers, to GPS. The methods of science are not the methods of common sense -- in fact, relying on common sense will almost assuredly lead down a false path. This talk will include a brief history of the scientific method, its stunning successes over the centuries. It will conclude with examples of some of the strange features of both Quantum Physics and General Relativity.

Presented by Professor Rafael Guzman on 3rd May 2013.

The GTC is the last -and the largest- of the new generation of large ground-based observatories that have opened up a new era of discoveries in astronomy at the dawn of the XXIst Century. The GTC has been built by a consortium of institutions from Spain, Mexico and the University of Florida. In this talk, I will review the general characteristics of this state-of-the-art telescope. I will also describe the main contributions of the University of Florida to its world-class instrumentation, and will present the first scientific results ranging from the birth of the universe to the detection of new planets to be obtained after its first light.

Presented by Professor Rafael Guzman on 3rd May 2013.

The GTC is the last -and the largest- of the new generation of large ground-based observatories that have opened up a new era of discoveries in astronomy at the dawn of the XXIst Century. The GTC has been built by a consortium of institutions from Spain, Mexico and the University of Florida. In this talk, I will review the general characteristics of this state-of-the-art telescope. I will also describe the main contributions of the University of Florida to its world-class instrumentation, and will present the first scientific results ranging from the birth of the universe to the detection of new planets to be obtained after its first light.

Presented by Anna Sippel on 19th April 2013.

Stars don't shine forever - and especially very massive stars don't live very long before ending their lives as neutron stars or black holes. In this lecture we will focus on the endpoints of the evolution of such massive stars and how a black hole can be formed during a stellar explosion called supernova. We will discuss how black holes of different sizes can be detected under certain circumstances, and implications for theories that stellar-mass black holes could be the seeds of supermassive black holes we find at the centres of galaxies like our Milky Way.