Although the Moon today has no global magnetic field, paleomagnetic measurements of Apollo samples indicate the existence of an ancient field from at least 4.25 to 1.92 billion years ago. It has been proposed that the paleofield was generated by a core dynamo. However, the paleofield’s apparent high intensity and longevity are major challenges to current theory. Three key difficulties have bee...
Dark Matter (DM) is the clearest sign that the Standard Model of particle physics is incomplete. A determination of the DM particle mass will rule out entire classes of hypothetical extensions to the Standard Model, thus pointing the correct path towards New Physics. In this talk, I describe how gravitational lensing can differentiate between the two top contenders for DM: ultra-massive (WIMP...
The new generation of infrared high-contrast imagers and sub-mm interferometer has been revolutionising our view of planet formation for the last decade. Protoplanetary discs have now been imaged at a high level of detail, revealing a wealth of structures including cavities, annular gaps, spiral arms, shadows and asymmetries. In order to connect these structures to forming planets and provide t...
Using a novel new teaching tool that uses a game engine to create an interactive astronomy universe Professor Matthew Bailes will talk about the highlights of the MeerTime program at MeerKAT. These include the discovery and timing of many new pulsars in globular clusters, giant pulse studies, many new pulsar masses, insights from the eclipses of the double pulsar and a tantalising Hellings and ...
TBD