Gresham College:
The Biggest Cosmic Map

Mapping the stars is, perhaps, the oldest of astronomical pursuits, but it has been perfected by the European Space Agency’s Gaia mission. The exquisitely precise map it provides shows the positions and movements of the nearest two billion stars.

Starting with a history of mapping the cosmos, this lecture outlines the new and dynamic history of our Milky Way galaxy that has resulted from this. This new view of our galaxy shows how it has been shaped over billions of years, and is still changing today.

Chris Lintott is Gresham* Professor of Astronomy and Professor of Astrophysics at the University of Oxford. He also a presenter of the BBC’s long-running Sky at Night programme, and the popular Dog Stars podcast.

His research ranges from understanding how galaxies form and evolve, to using machine learning to find the most unusual things in the Universe, to predicting the properties of visiting interstellar asteroids.

He is also Principal Investigator of the Zooniverse citizen science platform, which provides opportunities for more than two million online volunteers to contribute to scientific research.

*Each year, Gresham College provides over one hundred free, academic lectures, across the Arts & Sciences, given by international experts and leading academics. Find out more.

Age Recommendation:

16+

Price:

Standard Free

Access Information

Due to the age and Grade II listing of the building, there is no lift access to rooms above the ground floor.

All the ground-floor rooms are fully accessible by wheelchair. Main Hall (street access, step-free), Brockway Room (street access, step-free), Bertrand Russell Room (street access, shallow ramp), Hive Cafe (street access, step-free). There is also an accessible toilet on the ground floor opposite the Brockway Room.