Professor Richard Easther - Simple questions, some with simple answers: big bangs and black holes

Primary school children and scientists often ponder the same questions about space. Was there more than one Big Bang? What happens when you fall into a black hole? Will the universe expand forever?

In this talk Dr Richard Easther will outline the ways that Einstein changed our ideas about space and time and how this leads to deep ideas about the expanding universe and black holes. Now tested with observations and experiments, Richard will share answers we are finding to some of those questions - and highlight the questions we’re still trying to crack.

Speaker's bio

Dr Richard Easther is a professor and Head of Department of Physics at the University of Auckland. Born in New Zealand, Richard worked in Japan and the United States for 16 years after finishing his PhD at the University of Canterbury. He was a professor of Physics and Astronomy at Yale University, returning to New Zealand at the end of 2011. Richard’s research is at the interface of particle physics and astronomy, focusing on the nature of dark matter, and the origin and evolution of the universe.

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