Dawn of the new space age

Journey with us into the depths of space—explore the big bang nearly 14 billion years ago; galaxies far, far away; habitable planets and the potential for alien life; and the strange new things which are challenging the laws of physics, simply by existing. Australian researchers are at the forefront of the ‘Dawn of the new Space Age’, as we strive to discover more about our universe. Their work is contributing to the global effort to understand space and the result is some amazing science for us to share. The more we discover however, the more we realise how little we know!

This series at the Academy's Shine Dome in Canberra will bring together a collection of the top minds in space research who want to share their discoveries with you! Their work spans the exploration for extraterrestrial life, the hunt for habitable planets, what planets like Jupiter are really made of, how time works in space, how we are continuing to explore the outer reaches of our planet and how we can clean up space junk using lasers.

So take one small step and join us as we leap into this adventure to see what is waiting out there in space.

About the convenors

Professor Matthew Colless FAA, Director of the ANU Research School of Astronomy and Astrophysics at Mount Stromlo

Professor Matthew Colless is the Director of the Research School of Astronomy and Astrophysics (RSAA) at the Australian National University (ANU). He was previously the Director of the Australian Astronomical Observatory (AAO), Australia's national optical observatory. His research uses large redshift surveys of galaxies to understand their evolution and the large-scale structures they form.

Professor Tamara Davis, The School of Mathematics and Physics – The University of Queensland

Professor Tamara Davis uses astrophysics to test our fundamental laws of physics, and study the nature of dark energy and dark matter. She is one of the most highly cited astrophysicists in the world. Her contributions include testing advanced theories of gravity, measuring time-dilation of distant supernovae, using galaxies to measure the mass of the lightest massive particle in nature (the neutrino) and discovering that active galaxies fuelled by black holes can be used as standard candles. She is the Academy’s 2015 Nancy Millis Medallist.