Abstract

Everything we see around us, apart from hydrogen, was made in stars. The life and death of a star marks the battle of matter against the force of gravity, a battle that gravity always wins with either a whimper or a bang.

Dr Catchpole, recent Senior Astronomer at the Royal Observatory Greenwich, currently works at the Institute of Astronomy in Cambridge. Born in 1943, he took a BSc at University College, London, before being posted to the Royal Observatory at the Cape of Good Hope. He received his doctorate from the University of Cape Town. In 1991 he returned to the Royal Greenwich Observatory, where he worked until it closed in 1998. He has authored and co-authored over 100 research papers and has used telescopes around the world including the Hubble Space Telescope. His research interests include the composition of stars, exploding stars, the structure of our Galaxy and galaxies with central black holes. He gives numerous popular lectures and radio and TV interviews.

Free admission and open to the public. The lecture is suitable for GCSE students. No tickets – so come early to get a good seat. Doors open at 18:30. Please contact organisers if you are bringing a large party (>10). Organised by SCI Cambridge & Great Eastern Region & RSC Mid-Anglia Section