Aristotle thought the Universe was eternal; James Ussher dated its creation to 6pm on 22 Oct 4004 BCE; Newton eventually decided that it was infinite, static, and eternal; by 1958 it seemed to be younger than the oldest stars; by 2013, this had all been resolved and we now accept the Universe to be approximately 13.8 billion years old. This talk traces the ideas, evidence and reasoning for the answers to this most fundamental of questions.
40 mins plus Q&A
Views: 1470 | Enquiries: 2I am a Fellow of the Royal Astronomical Society and have authored many articles and several books on practical aspects of astronomy. I taught astronomy to adults and children for more than 40 years. I am the Dark Skies Advisor to both the Federation of Astronomical Societies and the International Dark Sky Reserve on the Cranborne Chase National Landscape, and split my time between these and doing astronomical outreach. As well as astronomical societies in Britain and abroad, I frequently speak to Rotary and Probus clubs, U3A groups, and schools/youth organisations. I have a monthly column in BBC Sky at Night Magazine, for which I also write equipment and book reviews.
I can deliver talks remotely over Zoom, Webex or MS Teams.
If you would like to see if I am available on the date you want, you can view my Bookings Calendar at https://astunit.com/talks.php
Fee (but not travel expenses from Fordingbridge, Hampshire) may be waived or reduced for charitable organisations supporting children or the environment, cubs/scouts/guides, etc. Ask for details.
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