The Formation of Our Galaxy

A typical galaxy, like our Milky Way, has one hundred billion solar masses in stars. It is remarkable that one can do back-of-the-envelope estimates that lead to predictions of the characteristic mass of a galaxy. I will describe how galaxies formed. Beginning from infinitesimal fluctuations in the early universe, gravity helped concentrate the matter into clouds that fragmented into stars and assembled into galaxies. With the largest telescopes, one can look back in time and decipher the remote signatures of galactic youth and even birth.

This is a free public lecture by Joseph Silk, Gresham Professor of Astronomy.

There is no need to book in advance for this lecture. It runs on a first come first served basis.