Prof: John Brown Credit: http://www.astro.gla.ac.uk

           "Black Holes and White Rabbits"


Studying astronomy is like a magic show with the cosmos as performer and using magic is a great way to illustrate, and excite interest in, astronomy.

For example, as they evolve stars perform astonishing chemistry tricks, transmuting the elements like an alchemists dream. Supreme in cosmic stellar magic, however, are black holes, most of which are the corpses of exploded massive stars but with supermassive ones in galactic centres. Black holes distort space-time in weird ways and may even be implicated in the birth of universes and of laws of physics.
These properties are impossible and too dangerous to bring into the lecture room but can be illustrated by means of man made magic.

John Brown is Regius Professor of Astronomy in Glasgow and 10th Astronomer Royal for Scotland,a title founded in 1834. He has held visiting research fellow posts in 17 institutions worldwide in the fields of solar and stellar physics. In 2003 he received an award of the UK Institute of Physics for his public outreach work in physics, specifically for his program of Starlab planetarium shows in schools and his use of magic to illustrate physical and astronomical phenomena.           

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To get tickets by post send cash cash/cheque/postal order/bank draft and a SELF-ADDRESSED STAMPED (48cent) ENVELOPE to: Astronomy Ireland, P.O.Box 2888, Dublin 5.

Schrodinger Theatre, Physics Building, Trinity College, Dublin 2.
Near the Westland Row or Lincoln Place entrances MAP of Campus
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                  Map of area around Trinity College

          Admission: € 5 (€ 3 members and concessions)