What's on: Night Talk: Space Junk! – Greening the Universe

Dr Fred Watson will look at the impacts of ‘space junk’ on our planet.

Event Type:

Special event

Date:

23 July 2013

Time:

Doors open at 6.30pm cheese and wine. One-hour lecture begins promptly at 7.00pm.

Location:

Australian Museum, entry via William Street

Admission:

$30 (Members: $20)

About the talk

'Space junk reaches new levels.'
'Endangered squirrels under threat from observatory.'
'Nuclear reactor sent into space.'
'Toxic rocket fuel found down-range of launch site.'

With headlines like these, you might be forgiven for thinking astronomy and space exploration are pretty hard on the environment. Not so, argues astronomer Dr Fred Watson in this provocative and entertaining talk.

When the big picture is taken into account, the credentials of these high-tech sciences are greener than you might imagine. At least, as far as life on planet Earth is concerned...

About the speaker

Fred Watson is Astronomer in Charge of the Australian Astronomical Observatory at Coonabarabran, where his main scientific interest is gathering information on very large numbers of stars and galaxies. He is also an adjunct professor at the Queensland University of Technology, the University of Southern Queensland and James Cook University.

Fred is well-known for his astronomy slots on ABC radio, and his recent books including 'Stargazer - the Life and Times of the Telescope', 'Why is Uranus Upside Down? and Other Questions About the Universe', (which won the 2008 Queensland Premier's Literary Prize for Science Writing) and the ABC's blockbuster, 'Universe', for which he was chief consultant.

Fred has an asteroid named after him (5691 Fredwatson), but says that if it hits the Earth, it won't be his fault...

How to book

Book online below or phone us on 9320 6225.

Last Updated: 4 June 2013