Free Astronomy Public Lecture Series (VIC) The Cosmic Dark Ages

Free Astronomy Public Lecture Series (VIC) The Cosmic Dark Ages

The Cosmic Dark Ages Presenter: Dr Emma Ryan-Weber, Centre for Astrophysics and Supercomputing Swinburne University of Technology

The details surrounding the end of the dark ages are among the final unknowns in modern astronomy. We have yet to discover when the starlight from the first galaxies lit up the Universe, ionizing the surround neutral hydrogen gas. As part of my research we have discovered some of the oldest and most distant carbon in the Universe, but there’s not enough to support the standard theories of how the Universe lit up. This will be a talk about how the elements came into existence, and how we can use them to count the number of stars in the early Universe. It’s also a tale about astronomical research, and an example of how scientific results sometimes present more questions than answers. I will discuss possible solutions this current puzzle including ongoing observations using some of the world’s largest telescopes.

Venue: Swinburne University, Hawthorn Campus, EN building Room: EN313 Date: Friday 16 April Time: 6.20 pm for a 6.30 pm start Duration: 1 hour including questions

Places are limited so please RSVP to Liz Thackray via email ethackray@swin.edu.au by Wednesday 14 April

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