PUBLIC LECTURE: The Hubble Space Telescope

It’s been nearly two decades since the Hubble Space Telescope began giving us its awe inspiring view of the cosmos. The images it has sent back to Earth have revolutionised astrophysics and inspired people all over the globe, both in terms of scientific understanding and pure artistic beauty.

In this special talk Professor Gerhardt Meurer, Research Winthrop Professor, Extragalactic Star Formation, will present and describe some of the most spectacular images produced by Hubble, the scientific and cultural impact they possess and the people that made such an amazing project possible. Finally Professor Meurer will discuss Australia’s role in the future of astrophysics with the Square Kilometre Array radio telescope and its Pathfinder, ASKAP which is set to reveal portions of galaxies that can not be detected by any of the space telescopes.

This free public lecture is co-sponsored with the International Centre for Radio Astronomy Research (ICRAR) and the Institute of Advanced Studies at UWA and is part of our joint 2011 lecture series.