July Monthly Meeting – 100 Years of Astronomical Controversy by David Allan

Our meetings include brief business, a main presentation and items of astronomical news or activities from members.

The July Main Item will be 100 Years of Astronomical Controversy by David Allan.  A synopsis is below.

The July 2024 meeting is planned to be a face-to-face meeting; attendees can also join in online via Zoom. Details emailed to members. Guests/visitors can contact us for Zoom details at .
Visitors are welcome to join our face-to-face or online meetings.

Synopsis of the talk:
The year 2024 marks a historic, if unheralded anniversary. In the year 1924 the US astronomer Edwin Hubble had conclusive proof, announced on 1 January 1925, that our universe was not just our Milky Way but a multiverse of galaxies similar to ours. The drawn-out academic controversies preceding this are outlined in the talk, together with the scientific breakthroughs leading up to it. However, 1924 was far from the end of astronomical puzzles. Accordingly, this talk describes 9 other major scientific controversies over the last 100 years. Four of these are solar system issues and the others universal. None of these mysteries were quickly resolved, eg the true nature of Quasars took 60 years, and many remain unresolved. We can be quite sure therefore that astronomical mysteries will continue on into the next 100 years.