Reading the secrets of starlight: the unreasonable power of specroscopy
Date: Wednesday 24th February, 2027
Time: 16:00 – 17:30
Location: Main Hall, Whickham School, NE16 5AR
Overview
What are stars, galaxies, and nebulae made of? It feels like a near-impossible question given how distant they are. You may have wondered how we could possibly know.
At the close of the 17th century, Newton showed that white light was composed of the colours of the rainbow – the “visible spectrum” of light. Little did he know that 200 years later, a pioneering group of women led by Annie Cannon at the Harvard College Observatory would use that spectrum to unlock the secrets of the stars and give birth to the field of astronomy as it exists today. This lecture will introduce the study of “spectroscopy” and justify the description of it as “unreasonably powerful” for understanding our universe.
Join us to learn about the astonishing knowledge that comes from studying the properties of starlight, and the story of one of the greatest scientific teams of all time: Annie Cannon and the “Harvard Computers”.
Image credit: Phil Dennis, Grizedale Observatory
Bookings
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