Discover 14-billion-year evolution of the Universe with free talk by top astrophysicist in Preston

Space enthusiasts are invited to a free event at the University of Central Lancashire to learn about how the Universe has evolved to look the way it does.

Dr Arif Babul, a distinguished professor at the University of Victoria in Canada, will take the audience on a mind-blowing journey exploring how the Universe has developed over the last 14 billion years.

Today’s Universe contains over 200 billion galaxies, each displaying an astounding variety of shapes, sizes, and colours. These galaxies are arranged in thin, twisting filaments that stretch for millions of light-years.

For nearly a century, astrophysicists have been dedicated to explaining how galaxies formed, how they are arranged, and why they are so diverse.

Today, using some of the world’s most powerful supercomputers, we are close to creating a comprehensive model of how cosmic structures form.

In this talk, Dr Arif Babul will also discuss the successes and challenges of this effort. He will share surprising outcomes, such as the discovery that galaxies ‘breathe’ by exchanging gas and energy with their surroundings and are shaped by both nature and nurture over cosmic time.

The public event, organised by the Jeremiah Horrocks Institute at the University of Central Lancashire, will take place on Tuesday 1 October from 6.30pm to 8.00pm at the Darwin Building in Marsh Lane.

The event is free and tickets can be booked via Eventbrite.

For more information, contact Professor Victor Debattista on VPDebattista@uclan.ac.uk.

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