- DURATION 3 x 60 mins
Event Description
FRONTIERS OF ASTRONOMY - How astronomy helps us understand the world around us
1) Asteroids – A waste of Space? (27th September)
On one hand there is indisputable evidence that the Earth has been bombarded from space by asteroids and comets over the past billions of years, and it hasn’t stopped yet! But on the other hand, as we are running out of resources on our planet, it is now believed that asteroids may contain extremely valuable materials for the future. Plus we will look at how they may play a key role in mankind expanding off our planet to explore elsewhere in the Solar System.
2) Astronomical insights into the Pyramids and Stonehenge (4th October)
The talk will discuss the view of the sky seen by ancient people. It will look at how the appearance of the night sky has evolved over the millennia, and how ancient people over the past 5000 years may have made use of the constellations for both engineering and religious purposes. We will look at what tools modern astronomy gives us that allows us to predict accurately the star patterns and accurately to time events seen in the distant past.
3) The Search for Life in the Universe (11th October)
The talk will look at the way we have been searching for life, from nearby planets to distant star systems. In particular, we will look at SETI (Search for Extra-terrestrial Intelligence). This will be followed by an up-to-date view of what astronomers are doing & what exciting results are emerging from their work. We will be talking about the rovers on Mars, probes to the distant planets and the discovery of thousands of planets around other star systems.
- Duration: 3 x 60 mins
- Online Zoom event: Join from your computer, phone or tablet (no replay available)
Meet the Host, Malcolm
Malcolm Coe is an Emeritus Professor of Astronomy at the University of Southampton, UK. For over 4 decades he transmitted his enthusiasm for astronomy to hundreds of students, winning awards for his creative teaching style. He gave popular astronomy talks on cruise ships for over a decade as well as countless lectures to adult groups and school children. In 2017 he had an asteroid named after himself.
Preparing for the Event
For the best experience, you will need to have Zoom downloaded onto your computer. Please ensure you're connected to broadband/wifi rather than using your mobile phone connection (3G/4G).
We also recommend that pets are either calmly sitting on your lap or in another room, and any refreshments you may require are within your reach!
More Information
What if I can’t make the event?
If a recording’s available for the event, you can still register for it and we will send you an email with a link to a recording shortly after it ends.
Will my camera be on and will I be visible to the other people?
Your camera and microphone does not need to be on for you to enjoy the event. The choice about whether to do this is completely yours.
How do I watch the live event?
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How do I sign-up for and access the recording? (Recorded events only)
Book the event as normal (as if you are attending live). After the event ends you will automatically receive a post-event email with a link to the recording, as long as the event was recorded. You do not need to do anything else and there is no separate booking process for recordings only. Please note it can take up to 24 hours for Zoom to process recordings.