This is just to inform you about the fact that there are several free public talks and events relating to astronomy in Oxford in the next few months which look interesting.
Finding the Big Bang
27th Apr 2012, 5:00pm - 6:00pm
Astrophysics are hosting a public lecture about the big bang
and the expanding universe. More information can be found here: http://www2.physics.ox.ac.uk/events/2012/04/27/public-lecture-%E2%80%98finding-the-big-bang%E2%80%99-professor-p-james-peebles.
Monday 28 May at 6pm to 7pm
Just A Black Dot?
On 5 June 2012, Venus will appear as a perfect black dot crossing the face of the Sun. This is known as a transit and is a very rare event to view from Earth. Only Venus and Mercury are placed to do this, and only then when there is an exact alignment of orbits. Though occurring in pairs a few years apart, this is generally a 'once-in-a-lifetime' experience.
The talk will look at the historical importance and Oxford's connections, the details of this year's transit and the modern relevance of making accurate transit observations.
Speaker: Charles Barclay, Director, Blackett Observatory, Marlborough College and Associate Fellow, Green Templeton College.
Please note that registration is essential if you wish to attend this lecture. for more information and to register, click on the link below
http://www.gtc.ox.ac.uk/whats-on/venus-2012/venus-2012-events-programme.html
Exploring the Distant Universe
Saturday 2 June 2012 at 2pmA public lecture for the family.
Over the next ten years our understanding of the Universe will be transformed by a new generation of both space and ground-based telescopes.
The 20-year-old Hubble Space Telescope will be replaced by the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST). Discover how the JWST, with a mirror five times larger than Hubble, will allow us to identify not only the most distant stars and galaxies in the Universe, but also find planets approaching the size of the Earth orbiting other stars.
Find out how a new class of ground-based 'Extremely Large Telescopes' (ELTs) will complement JWST with their ability to obtain exquisitely detailed observations of individual objects such as distant galaxies.
Speaker: Stephen Wilkins, Oxford Astrophysics.
For more info click on the link http://www.gtc.ox.ac.uk/whats-on/venus-2012/venus-2012-events-programme/exporing-the-universe-the-next-generation-of-telescopes.html
Please let me know if you have any further questions - you can contact me at cha@cheney.oxon.sch.uk
