Talks to North Wales Astronomy Society

Note: The University of Liverpool has outsourced its video streaming service and no longer allows public access.
Recordings of talks made after 2020 are available via YouTube.






Apollo 13

22 Jan 2020
In 1970 the Apollo 13 mission "had a problem". The heroic efforts of mission control to rescue the three astronauts are well documented. This short talk covers some of the perhaps not-so-well-known aspects of the mission.


  Recording   Handout






Lighter Side of Astronomy

22 Jan 2020
A light-hearted look at astronomy and astronomers, plus some of the weird and wonderful telescopes that they use.


  Recording   Handout






Dark Matter

27 Mar 2019
More than 80% of all the matter in the Universe is dark matter. What is the evidence that makes us think that dark matter exists? Why is it dark? What is it made of? Does it matter? What are the consequences if dark matter does not exist?


  Recording   Handout






200@70

24 Oct 2018
The 200" Hale Telescope on Palomar Mountain has been in operation for the past 70 years. This is the story of its design and construction.


  Recording   Handout






Star of Bethlehem

29 Nov 2017
A light-hearted look at the Gospel of St Matthew. What are the astronomical candidates for the Star of Bethlehem? How well do they fit the account? Do known events fit the timeline of the nativity?


  Recording   Handout






ABC of Stellar Evolution

25 Jan 2017
A look at the birth, life and death of stars. What are the three critical factors (the ABC) that determine why stars are the way they are and why they evolve the way they do?


  Recording   Handout






Warping Space and Time

25 May 2016
The science fact and science fiction of black holes. How are they formed, what are their properties and how can we 'observe' them? What about TV and the movies? Does Hollywood ever get it right?


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Beginning of Everything

24 Feb 2016
A brief description of the origin and the very early history of the Universe. It took about three minutes to kick-start the Universe. If this happened 13.8 billion years ago, how can we be so sure?


  Recording   Handout






Astrophotography

25 July 2012
Photographing the night sky without ridiculously expensive equipment. What can be done with a digital camera, a tripod, a bit of ingenuity and very little else?


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Great Moon Hoax

16 May 2012
As we all know, the Apollo moonlandings of the late 1960s and early 1970s were faked by NASA. What is the 'evidence' that supports this claim and does it stand up to scientific scrutiny?


  Recording   Handout


Steve Barrett      January 2020

S.D.Barrett@liv.ac.uk 		Link to North Wales Astronomy Society
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