The Science of Light (Science Week)

The Royal Society of Tasmania – 2015 Launceston Lecture Series

Mr Martin George, Physicist, Astronomer, Manager of the Launceston Planetarium

will present The Science of Light in the Meeting Room, QVMAG at Inveresk
2.00 pm Sunday 23rd August 2015
Admission: $6 General Public, $4 Friends of the Museum and Students
Free for members of The Royal Society of Tasmania
To assist us with the organization of this event
RSVP by Thursday 20th August 2015:
Email [email protected] or telephone 6323 3798

Light has fascinated people through the ages. It is essential in our daily lives, but for most of human history it has been poorly understood. Over the past few centuries, important breakthroughs were made, with astronomy playing an important role. The nineteenth century saw the discovery that light can be used to study the makeup of objects, from those on Earth right out to distant stars and galaxies. Martin George will describe how we have come to know so much about light and in particular how we measured its great speed: the fastest speed there is!

Mr Martin George is a physicist, astronomer and Fellow and former President (2005-2006) of the International Planetarium Society  the world body of planetarium professionals. He is also Manager of the Launceston Planetarium, which forms part of the Queen Victoria Museum and Art Gallery in Launceston, Tasmania. He is a member of several astronomy-related professional organisations, including the International Astronomical Union. He makes frequent appearances on radio and television, in particular ABC radio, to discuss astronomy and space research.