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Dr Alec McKinnon is offering a couple of Astronomy courses through Strathclyde University’s Centre for Lifelong learning.  It's hoped these would be interesting to ASG members and the public.  In the current circumstances they’ll be run online, using Zoom.
 
There are two courses, both six weeks starting 21 April:
 
Life in the Cosmos, 10.00 – 11.30
For centuries people have wondered if there might be living creatures in the Universe beyond Earth.  In this class we first ask, “what do we mean by ‘life’ anyway?” then look at the progress astronomers have made towards answering this question: the possibilities for life elsewhere in the solar system; the existence and nature of planets around other stars; the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence (SETI).  We conclude by looking at future prospects for finding life elsewhere.
 
Astronomy as the skies get light, 18.00 – 19.30
As spring wears on, the nights in Scotland shorten very quickly but the sky does not lose its interest.  After reviewing the regular changes in the sky we take a look at: the bright constellations of spring and summer; The Milky Way; the Sun and the Moon; Northern lights and noctilucent clouds; meteors.  You will hear about the natures of the objects being discussed and learn how to see them for yourself.
 
Both classes are lecture style with plenty time for discussion and questions.  They’re most suitable for people with little to no previous knowledge. There’s a fee: £63 in both cases.  Enrol at https://mycll.strath.ac.uk/MyCLL/Classes?cid=148&cname=Astronomy

"What is THAT? The discovery of pulsars, their nature and their impact on physics"
Professor Dame Jocelyn Bell Burnell, who presented the ASG's Tannahill Lecture in January 2017, will give City University of London's 44th Edwards Lecture.  She is an astrophysicist who was responsible for the discovery of pulsars while a radio astronomy graduate student in Cambridge and has subsequently worked in gamma ray, X-ray, infrared and millimetre wavelength astronomy.  She was credited with one of the most significant scientific achievements of the 20th century.

Full details and registration information is available at: https://www.city.ac.uk/news-and-events/events/2021/06/44th-edwards-lecture-professor-dame-jocelyn-bell-burnell

The Society has setup a YouTube channel to allow members and the public watch again those recent lectures that we have recorded from Zoom.  This collection will grow over time and it is hoped that once we can resume lectures in person at University of Strathclyde we will still be able to record and share lectures on YouTube.

 


Dr Queenie Chan answers questions after her successful lecture
entitled "Meteorites and the Search for Life", September 2019
Image: Paul Makin

The ASG's free public lectures for the 2020-21 session are as follows. Due to the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic our normal venue at University of Strathclyde is closed and public lecture will instead be held online via Zoom.  Access links for the Zoom sessions will be posted below before each lecture.  Some lectures can be watched again on the ASG's YouTube channel.  All lectures start at 19:30