Astronomy in the City—Gravitational Waves Special

Astronomy in the City is a series of (free) public events, each packed with astrophysics. This Gravitational Wave Special celebrates the discovery of gravitational waves 100 years after Albert Einstein's prediction and the beginning of a new era of astronomy. As part of the global LIGO Scientific Collaboration, scientists from the University of Birmingham have confirmed a major prediction of Einstein’s theory of general relativity through the detection of gravitational waves!

We are delighted to present you with an opportunity to hear from our key academics who have been at the forefront of developing the new field of gravitational-wave astronomy. Learn about gravitational waves, Einstein's theory of gravity, black holes and how this discovery will change our understanding of the Universe. There will also be a question-and-answer session where you can ask the experts anything you want to know about gravitational waves! We hope you are as excited about the detection – and our event – as we are!

Schedule:
18:30 Doors open
19:00 Welcome to the University of Birmingham
19:05 Gravitational waves from a merging binary black hole
19:45 Ask-the-expert question and answer
20:15 Post-talk activities, games and chance to chat with our researchers

The first talk begins at 7:00 pm, in the Hall of the Bramall Music Building (R12 on the campus map) on the University's Edgbaston campus.

All levels of astronomical knowledge (of lack thereof) are welcome; the event is aimed at secondary school age and above (year 7+), but younger children are welcome. All under-18s must be accompanied by a parent/guardian/teacher.

* Please be aware that we are not running our usual trips to the Observatory for this Gravitational Wave Special. Astronomy in the City will return to the normal schedule for our next event on 9 March.