Astronomy Talks
Covid 19 Announcement
The Royal Observatory Visitor Centre is closed due to the Coronavirus pandemic. We are not confirming any new group bookings at the current time, and there are no public events taking place on site.
Online Astronomy Talks
We are very excited that we can now offer talks from astronomers and engineers online! Follow the links below to book talks in our 2020/21 season. You can watch talks from the 2019/20 season from the 'Previous Talks' section below the current listiings.
Thank you for your continued support.
The Astronomical Society of Edinburgh is also holding free online-streamed talks on their You Tube channel. Visit their events page to find out more.
25 January 2021 | 19:00 - 20:00 GMT
Weird New Worlds
Beth Biller
With literally thousands of exoplanet candidates discovered to date, we now know of a few relatively Earthlike worlds -- and many many more planets very different from those in our own solar system! Beth will discuss what we know already about these worlds and what we will be learning in the next decades.
Book Tickets
8 February 2021 | 19:00 - 20:00 GMT
How You Can Contribute to Science
Bryan Gillis
Working scientists often receive messages from people who want to contribute to science in some way. Learn about various ways the public can participate in scientific research, from helping with outreach and education to art projects which incorporate scientific research and results.
Book Tickets
22 February 2021 | 19:00 - 20:00 GMT
What does the future of our Universe entail?
Daniele Sorini
We will discover how the human understanding of cosmology has evolved from the ancient Greek to nowadays. We will go through the current cosmological models, and discuss the predictions for the far future of our Universe. What will happen to our Universe way after the Earth and then the Sun will cease to exist? May humans outlive that, and may new intelligent life still develop in the far future?
Book Tickets
8 March 2021 | 19:00 - 20:00 GMT
Growing Supermassive Black Holes
James Aird
We now know that supermassive black holes, with masses of millions to billions of times the mass of the Sun, are found at the centres of most galaxies (including our own galaxy, the Milky Way). But where do they come from and how do they get so big? This talk will describe how astronomers are able to see growing black holes and why we think they play a key role in shaping the Universe.
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22 March 2021 | 19:00 - 20:00 GMT
The Life Cycle of Galaxies
Romeel Davé
Our most powerful telescopes reveal a universe filled with galaxies that come in a dizzying range of shapes, sizes, colours, and environments. How this diverse population arose over 14 billion years from the primordial Universe is a fascinating and complex story that astronomers are only now beginning to piece together. It's a story worthy of a Hollywood movie, including lurking villains, dangerous neighborhoods, and powerful explosions that put a Michael Bay movie to shame. In this talk, I'll tell the life story of galaxies as we now understand it, by combining multi-wavelength galaxy surveys and state of the art supercomputer simulations.
Book Tickets
Previous Talks
11 January 2021 | 19:00 - 20:00 GMT
How do astronomers model gravity?
Michael Peterson
Newton's simple formulation of gravity perfectly describes our solar system. However, at galaxy-size scales, understanding the subtler effects of gravity is best accomplished through computer simulations. I'll describe the state-of-the-art simulations that model gravity and the historical work in the field, along with some novelties astronomers uncovered along the way.
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14 December | 19:00-20:00 GMT
What’s Up: Putting the Science into Stargazing (Festive Edition!)
Martin Black, Alistair Bruce & William Taylor
A beginner’s guide to the night sky, including a round-up of recent astronomical news and the science of celestial sights. Feel free to bring questions along with you!
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07 December | 19:00-20:00 GMT
Asteroids in 3D
Agata Rozek
Near-Earth asteroids! They're just what it says on the tin: asteroids that come close to Earth (astronomically speaking). Understanding our small space neighbours means knowing how they form and evolve. Come and discover how optical and radio telescopes are used to learn how asteroids look like.
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23 November | 19:00-20:00 GMT
Can Additive Manufacturing be a Game Changer?
Hermine Schnetler
In this talk, we look at the possibilities of using additive manufacturing (3-D printing) in the production of integrated-components for use in astronomical instrumentation designs.
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09 November | 19:00-20:00 GMT
Things that go Bang in the Night
Andy Lawrence
Throughout history we have been fascinated by unexpected and violent cosmic events such as comets and novae. Today, we are systematically monitoring the sky trying to catch such things that go bang in the night. Andy Lawrence will look at what we have learned and the mysteries still to solve.
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12 October | 19:00-20:00 BST
What’s Up: Putting the Science into Stargazing
Matjaz Vidmar
A beginner’s guide to the night sky, including a round-up of recent astronomical news and the science of celestial sights. Feel free to bring questions along with you!
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Monday 22nd June 19:00-20:00 BST
CloudCatcher - How to Help Catch Clouds From Space
Caroline Cox
Clouds are beautiful. Seen from Earth, they provide a constantly changing backdrop to the sky. Seen from space, they are spectacular formations. However, clouds can be problematic for many Earth Observation missions interested in making observations of the atmosphere or land below them. I will discuss the process of identifying clouds in satellite images, specifically the Sea and Land Surface Temperature Radiometer that flies on board the Sentinel-3 satellites. I will also introduce a new citizen science project, CloudCatcher, and tell you how you and your family can be part of it.
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Monday 15th June 19:00-20:00 BST
Women in Astronomy: At the Royal Observatory Edinburgh and Around the World
Anna Lisa Varri
Great progress has been made towards a more balanced gender representation in Astronomy, nevertheless, the issue is not solved yet. We will explore the history and state of the workforce, locally and globally, and analyse some of the barriers which are still in place. The future of the next generation of women astronomers is bright - but every adult has a role to play now!
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Monday 8th June 19:00-20:00 BST
What keeps astronomers up at night?
Ciaran Fairhurst
Astronomy is ridiculously ambitious: we are attempting to chart the history of the entire universe. It's only natural that there would be some gaps. I will talk you through a couple of these "open questions" -- the problem, why it's so hard, and what is being done about it.
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Monday 1st June 19:00-20:00 BST
Illuminating the Tadpole’s Metamorphosis
Megan Reiter
Using the biggest and best telescopes, we will peer inside a little tadpole-shaped cloud and gather clues to how this little cloud in a star-forming sea will transform from a bunch of gas and dust into a star and planet system that may look a lot like our solar system.
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Monday 25th May 19:00-20:00 BST
Starlight Caught in Gelatin
Clive Davenhall
The first crude daguerreotypes of the Moon and Sun were taken shortly after the first photographic processes were announced in 1839. By the end of the century photographs were being taken of faint nebulae and extensive photographic star-charting programmes were in progress. This talk will tell the story of how photography was introduced into astronomy, and the revolution in astronomy that it caused.
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Tuesday 19th May 19:00-20:00 BST
Following the Photons
Rubén Sánchez-Janssen
Join us on a billion-year journey through the cosmos. We will follow the path of light emitted by the first stars, from their birth places to the camera detectors where we finally record it.
Along the way we will learn about the large telescopes and powerful instruments that enable the most astonishing astronomical discoveries.
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Monday 11th May 19:00-20:00 BST
Euclid: A Space Mission to Map the Dark Universe
Niraj Welikala
Dark Matter and Dark Energy account for most of the energy in the Universe. Yet their nature remains a complete mystery. Niraj will describe Euclid, which is an upcoming space mission that will map both to unprecedented precision. A team at the Royal Observatory is at the forefront of this effort by measuring the shapes of almost a billion galaxies.
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Monday 4th May 2020 19:00pm-20:00pm
Helping Scotland Launch to Space!
Matjaz Vidmar and Karina Wardak
With new applications of observing the Earth from space and spaceports planned for the North, researchers, developers and entrepreneurs often need a little help to realise their vision. In this talk, we will explore the important role of intermediaries, including our Higgs Centre for Innovation, in supporting the Scottish Space Industry.
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Monday 27th April 2020 19:00pm-19:45pm
The Very First Light
Teresita Suarez Noguez
Are we able to see the first stars and galaxies in the Universe? How do we know they are the very first stars? These early luminous objects determined the formation of structure in our Universe that led to the distribution of matter that we observe today.
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Tuesday 21st April 2020 19:00pm-19:45pm
The Simba Galaxy Simulations
Sarah Appleby
This talk will explain how we use galaxy simulations in astronomy to make sense of real data and determine how galaxies evolve over cosmic time. The Simba simulations help astronomers to understand the impact of supermassive black holes in the centers of galaxies.
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