Event

A Virtual Tour of Einstein’s Universe | National Science Week 2024

Join us for an exciting evening during National Science Week for a Virtual Tour of Einstein’s Universe!

EVENT TIME: 5:30pm - 7:30pm AEST

EVENT DATE: 14 August, 2024 - 8 December, 2024

EVENT LOCATION: ATC 101, 427-451 Burwood Rd, Hawthorn VIC 3122


Contact: ozgrav@swin.edu.au
RSVP: https://virtual-tour-of-einsteins-universe.eventbrite.com.au

Public Lecture: “A Virtual Tour of Einstein’s Universe”

⏰ Time: 6:30 PM – 7:30 PM
📍 Location: ATC101
🎙️ Speaker: Professor Matthew Bailes

Over 100 years ago, Albert Einstein developed his General Theory of Relativity, a description of matter, space, and time that appears to defy our everyday experiences. In General Relativity, as a result of gravity, rulers shrink, time flows more slowly, light bends, waves of gravity permeate the Universe, and black holes can trap light. In this talk, Professor Bailes will use an exciting new virtual reality tool to fly around a virtual universe, visiting many naturally occurring gravitational laboratories that astronomers use to test whether Einstein’s theories provide an accurate description of the Universe.

🎙️ Speaker Bio: Professor Matthew Bailes is the co-discoverer of Fast Radio Bursts, founder of the Swinburne Centre for Astrophysics and Supercomputing and Director of the ARC Centre of Excellence for Gravitational Wave Discovery (OzGrav). He has been working on relativistic astrophysics for almost four decades and has a passion for public outreach and building radio astronomy instrumentation.

Outreach Workshops: Hands-On Fun for Kids!

⏰ Time: 5:30 PM – 6:30 PM
📍 Location: ATC103

Activities:

  • Virtual Reality: Come explore the cosmos in virtual reality! Our scientists will take you on a guided tour of the universe, from our solar system to the most exotic objects in space, such as neutron stars and black holes.
  • Badge Making: What is your favourite thing in space? Create a badge of your own design or use one of our designs to create your own unique badge to take home with you to remember this event!
  • Activity Sheets: What happens when the coolest things in space meet your favourite puzzles? Space activity sheets! Come collect some activity and colouring sheets with mazes, word searches, and crosswords… all inspired by stuff in space!
  • Tabletop Interferometer: How do scientists detect ripples in the fabric of space-time as they pass through the Earth? Lasers, of course! Join our scientists as they demo a working laser interferometer and share how we use large versions of them to find gravitational waves!

Don’t miss out on this fantastic opportunity to dive into the wonders of the universe with engaging hands-on activities and a fascinating lecture suitable for all ages. Bring your family and friends for an evening of cosmic exploration and fun this National Science Week!

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