Gresham College | A Mirror in the Sky - Chris Lintott @GreshamCollege | Uploaded September 2024 | Updated October 2024, 4 days ago.
The first lecture in the series considers the most famous telescope of all, the Hubble space telescope. A project more than forty years in the making, Hubble overcame an initial disaster with a misshapen mirror to drive a revolution in every part of astronomy, providing iconic views of everything from a comet crashing into Jupiter to a surprisingly vibrant, distant Universe. This lecture focuses in particular on what Hubble has revealed about the life - and death - of stars.
Chapters
00:00 Introduction – a new star discovered in 1604
04:22 What is a supernova?
05:47 1987 discovery of new supernova in Chile
10:27 How supernovae cause new stars
12:17 Why we need space telescopes
18:11 How Hubble was launched in 1990
22:48 The star Betelgeuse
24:38 What is a planetary nebula?
27:27 Hubble was almost a failure
33:50 Hubble’s beautiful images
35:37 What Hubble has taught us about star formation
39:42 ‘Pillars of Creation’
40:37 New telescopes like JWST, HWO, Roman
42:28 Conclusion – The legacy of Hubble
This lecture was recorded by Chris Lintott on 11th September 2024 at Conway Hall, London
Chris is Gresham Professor of Astronomy.
He is also a Professor of Astrophysics at the University of Oxford, and a Research Fellow at New College.
Watch the Q&A session here: youtu.be/UqvTDzrs2Sc
The transcript of the lecture is available from the Gresham College website:
gresham.ac.uk/watch-now/mirror-sky
Gresham College has offered free public lectures for over 400 years, thanks to the generosity of our supporters. There are currently over 2,500 lectures free to access. We believe that everyone should have the opportunity to learn from some of the greatest minds. To support Gresham's mission, please consider making a donation: gresham.ac.uk/support
Website: gresham.ac.uk
Twitter: twitter.com/greshamcollege
Facebook: facebook.com/greshamcollege
Instagram: instagram.com/greshamcollege
The first lecture in the series considers the most famous telescope of all, the Hubble space telescope. A project more than forty years in the making, Hubble overcame an initial disaster with a misshapen mirror to drive a revolution in every part of astronomy, providing iconic views of everything from a comet crashing into Jupiter to a surprisingly vibrant, distant Universe. This lecture focuses in particular on what Hubble has revealed about the life - and death - of stars.
Chapters
00:00 Introduction – a new star discovered in 1604
04:22 What is a supernova?
05:47 1987 discovery of new supernova in Chile
10:27 How supernovae cause new stars
12:17 Why we need space telescopes
18:11 How Hubble was launched in 1990
22:48 The star Betelgeuse
24:38 What is a planetary nebula?
27:27 Hubble was almost a failure
33:50 Hubble’s beautiful images
35:37 What Hubble has taught us about star formation
39:42 ‘Pillars of Creation’
40:37 New telescopes like JWST, HWO, Roman
42:28 Conclusion – The legacy of Hubble
This lecture was recorded by Chris Lintott on 11th September 2024 at Conway Hall, London
Chris is Gresham Professor of Astronomy.
He is also a Professor of Astrophysics at the University of Oxford, and a Research Fellow at New College.
Watch the Q&A session here: youtu.be/UqvTDzrs2Sc
The transcript of the lecture is available from the Gresham College website:
gresham.ac.uk/watch-now/mirror-sky
Gresham College has offered free public lectures for over 400 years, thanks to the generosity of our supporters. There are currently over 2,500 lectures free to access. We believe that everyone should have the opportunity to learn from some of the greatest minds. To support Gresham's mission, please consider making a donation: gresham.ac.uk/support
Website: gresham.ac.uk
Twitter: twitter.com/greshamcollege
Facebook: facebook.com/greshamcollege
Instagram: instagram.com/greshamcollege