Our Universe – piecing together the cosmic puzzle

Free public forum: join us to explore the nature of the Universe and the evolution of matter, light and the elements.

LIMITED TICKETS AVAILABLE.

The Universe is like a big jigsaw puzzle, where we're constantly discovering and fitting many pieces together. At the same time, we’re continuing to keep an eye on the ‘big picture’. The challenge lies in the absence of a guiding photo on the outside of the box. We can’t even start with corners and edge pieces! So how do we make sense of this enormous cosmic puzzle?

Join us to explore this question, celebrate the latest discoveries about our Universe… and learn about life as an astronomer. 

Dr Jonathon Webb, ABC's Science Editor, will introduce you to the next generation of astronomy leaders:

• Dr Nichole Barry (UNSW) will take us back, almost to the beginning, the Epoch of Reionisation.
• Assoc/Prof Amanda Karakas (Monash) will introduce our periodic table that reveals which elements were made in which types of stars.
• Dr Jesse van de Sande (UNSW) will discuss our Milky Way and how it formed, evolved, and will eventually die.

Ask them about their discoveries and the remarkable telescopes they use.

Hear about the real-world impacts of their work.

And about careers in astronomy and after astronomy.

Over the past 7 years, 300 astronomers who are part of the ASTRO 3D Centre of Excellence have produced a comprehensive picture of the evolution of matter, chemical elements, and energy in the Universe, from shortly after the Big Bang, to the present day. 

As our Centre comes to an end, we are reporting back to the community on highlights of our research and how we have used the biggest telescopes on Earth and in space, combining innovative optical and radio 3D technology with new theoretical supercomputer simulations on a massive scale, requiring new big data techniques.

ASTRO 3D is a $40 million Centre of Excellence funded by the Australian Government through the Australian Research Council (ARC). 

Ages: Suitable for enquiring upper primary school students and up.