27/09/17

Steve Owens, Crawick Multiverse

Universe or Multiverse​​

Astronomer Steve Owens, Executive Director of the Crawick Multiverse, utilises the incredible power of the fulldome digital planetarium to explore whether our universe is the only one, or if we're one of countless universes making up the Multiverse.

216

25/10/17

Tanya Johnston, European Southern Observatory

Reaching new heights in Astronomy

The European Southern Observatory has long been at the forefront of astronomical discovery, taking the first ever pictures of an exoplanet, measuring the age of the oldest known star in the Milky Way, and discovering the closest exoplanet to Earth. Tania Johnston, from the ESO's new Supernova Planetarium and Visitor Centre, will take you through some of their groundbreaking work, including the construction of the Extremely Large Telescope in the Atacama Desert in Chile. When complete, its 39 metre primary mirror will provide astronomers with images 16 times sharper than those produced by the Hubble Space Telescope. It will probe exoplanetary systems, investigate planetary formation, and observe some of the earliest galaxies in our universe. 

139

29/11/17

Prof John Brown, ​Astronomer Royal for Scotland​

Comets - bringers of death, bringers of life, and cosmic probes

Humans have observed comets in our skies for millennia, when they were often considered to be bad omens, foretelling famine, plagues, or the death of kings. Our understanding of their appearances only really began in the 16th century, and since then it has taken us from merely observing them, to landing spacecraft on their pitted surfaces. These icy visitors from the very edges of our solar system may have delivered water to an early Earth, or even brought with them the organic molecules required for the evolution of life on our planet. Professor John Brown OBE FRSE, and Astronomer Royal For Scotland since 1995, will explore the history of comets, from the myths and legends of early observations, to today's cutting edge science investigating their true nature.

200

31/1/18

Prof Sheila Rowan, ​​Chief Scientific Adviser, Scot. Gov.

Gravitational waves - turning on the soundtrack to the Universe

Just over a century ago, Albert Einstein realised that in his new model for space and time in our Universe (his 'General Theory of Relativity'), space could be stretching and squashing in response to the motion of objects. These ripples in space-time - 'Gravitational waves' - are produced by some of the most energetic and dramatic phenomena in our universe, including colliding black holes, spinning neutron stars and supernovae. Close to 100 years after the prediction of the existence of gravitational waves, the advanced detectors of the Laser Interferometer Gravitational-wave Observatory (LIGO) detected such signals for the first time, starting a new era in astronomy. Professo Sheila Rowan will explain the nature of gravitational waves, how they are detected, and what the future of this new era in astronomy might look like.

221

8/2/18

Prof Chris Lintott, Oxford University

Education Lecture

From the BBC's The Sky at Night to Glasgow Science Centre, join astronomer Chris Lintott, Professor of Astrophysics at the University of Oxford, as we explore the Universe and attempt to answer some pretty big questions.

237

8/5/18

Prof Lyndsay Fletcher, Glasgow University

Living with a Star

On the 6th of September 2017 a colossal blast of energy and radiation was unleashed from the solar atmosphere. It was among the most powerful solar flares in modern times, comparable to the famous 'Carrington' event of 1859 which caused dramatic effects on communications systems. Such large flares are rare, but flares of all sizes are a common occurrence when the Sun is active, and are thought to be caused by the Sun shedding the excess magnetic energy that builds up in its atmosphere. Using observations from space-based and ground-based instruments, this talk will discuss how we observe and understand flares, their causes and effects on Earth, and the likelihood that the Sun will produce a `superflare', such as are observed on other solar-like stars. 

(rescheduled from 28 February, inclement weather)

88

(1 lecture)

28/3/18

Prof Matt Griffin, Cardiff University

See​​ing the Invisible Universe​: Infrared Astronomy from Space

The birth processes of galaxies, stars and planetary systems are all obscured from our view in visible light by the clouds of gas and dust from which they emerge. To observe them we need to look at much longer infrared wavelengths, which is best done from space because the Earth's atmosphere is largely opaque at those wavelengths. The Herschel Space Observatory (2009) revolutionised our understanding of the obscured Universe. Its successor observatory, called SPICA, which is now under development, will be even more powerful, especially for studying the most distant galaxies and the discs around young stars from which new planetary systems are forming in our own galaxy today. In this talk Professor Matt Griffin will describe Herschel and some of its spectacular images and scientific results, and look forward to the promise of SPICA.

113

26/9/18

Leo Hollberg, Stanford University

Space, Time and Quantum Clocks

Throughout history, we have relied upon accurate astronomical measurements of the relative position of the sun, moon, planets, and stars to understand the locations and motions of things in space. These same types of measurements are used to determine our relative positions on Earth, and for navigation. Both position determination and navigation also require some method of keeping time.

For faster and more accurate real-time navigation on earth, Global Navigation Satellite systems have been developed. These systems are elaborate networks of ground stations and satellites in well-defined, predetermined orbits. Each satellite carries several accurate atomic clocks and uses microwave signals to transmit position and time information to the Earth.

In the future, more advanced atomic clocks could herald new capabilities, such as navigation deeper into space, sea-level measurement, and high-speed communication systems. Prof. Leo Hollberg explores how accurate clocks and the constant speed of light are key to understanding space and time and navigation.

13/10/18

Wally Funk and Sue Nelson, aviator and broadcaster

The Mercury 13 and the Extraordinary Story of a Female Aviation Pioneer​

In 1961, Wally Funk was among the Mercury 13, the first group of American pilots to pass the 'Woman in Space' programme. Wally sailed through a series of rigorous physical and mental tests, with one of her scores beating all the male Mercury 7 astronauts', including John Glenn's, the first American in orbit. But just one week before the final phase of training, the programme was abruptly cancelled. A combination of politics and prejudice meant that none of the women ever flew into space. Journalist and fellow space buff Sue Nelson is the author of Wally Funk's Race for Space. Together with Wally, who is now approaching her eightieth birthday, they will tell the story of the Mercury 13 through a combination of space history and personal recollections, including Wally's personal race to make her own giant leap before it's too late.

31/10/18

Markus Nordberg, CERN

Connecting the Worlds of Micro to Macro: from Open Science to Open Innovation — CERN as a Case

Dr Markus Nordberg from the Development and Innovation Unit at CERN will be discussing how fundamental research challenges push instrumentation needs, and how collaborative development of ideas and technologies generated for research at CERN inspire innovation processes for addressing societal challenges.

28/11/18

Dallas Campbell, BBC Presenter

Ad Astra: An Illustrated Guide to Leaving the Planet

For almost all of human history we've been firmly rooted to the Earth. And, sure, it's got some good things going for it: nice views, friendly inhabitants, good coffee. Air. But what if you want to get off? Whether you've got itchy feet and need a bit of a break, or you’re looking for a complete change of scene, this talk has all the information you'll need to leave, with FREE expert advice from the men and women who can actually make it happen.

30/1/19

Mark McCaughrean, ESA

Once Explorers, Always Explorers

The European Space Agency's science and exploration missions have been much in the news over the last couple of years, with the first results from its Gaia Milky Way surveyor and its LISA Pathfinder gravitational wave detection technology testbed, the arrival of its ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter and Schiaparelli lander at the Red Planet, and the decade-long saga of the Rosetta comet-chasing spacecraft. Prof. ​Mark McCaughrean will give you an insight into some of these missions, their challenges, and their successes (as well as the almost-successes), and tell you what's coming next for ESA science and exploration, including new missions to study the Sun, Mercury, the Moon, Mars, and the wider Universe.

27/2/19

Marcus Chown, Author

The Day Without a Yesterday

The greatest discovery in the history of science is that there was a day without a yesterday. The Universe has not existed forever. It was born. 13.82 billion years ago, it erupted into being in a titanic fireball called the Big Bang. Science writer and broadcaster Marcus Chown discusses the questions it raises, such as: What was the Big Bang? What drove the Big Bang? And what happened before? The latter is the stickiest question of all, and the reason why most scientists had to be dragged kicking and screaming to the whole idea.

15/3/19

Dr Becky Smethurst, University of Oxford

Galaxy Zoo: From the lab to your living room

What if you could do science from the comfort of your own living room? With Galaxy Zoo that’s now possible, with everyone from age 10 to 110 all involved in cutting edge astrophysical research into the evolution of the Universe. Join one of the team scientists as she journeys through some of the groundbreaking results that have come from this huge public collaboration of over 200,000 people and shows just how powerful the crowd really can be.