First light: switching on the stars at the dawn of time 

Join Dr Emma Chapman to look back in time and remember how we are all made of stardust.

About this event

When it comes to understanding how the Universe began and grew up we are literally in the dark ages. In effect, we are missing the first billion years from the timeline of the Universe, and this time is known as the ‘Era of the First Stars'. It is the time when the very first stars burst into life, when darkness gave way to light. One by the one these stars suddenly came into being, like fireflies in the night.

his talk will shed light on how astronomers across the world are coming together to illuminate this time of darkness, telling the story of these first stars. Hundreds of times the size of the Sun and a million times brighter, these stars were lonely giants that lived fast and died young in powerful explosions that seeded the Universe with the heavy elements that we are made of. We come together to look back in time and remember how we are all made of stardust.

Find a recording of the full lecture here.