How old is the Universe? - Stephen Tonkin

Aristotle thought it was eternal; James Ussher dated its creation to 6pm on 22 Oct 4004 BCE; Newton eventually decided that it was infinite, static, and eternal; by 1958 it seemed to be younger than the oldest stars; by 2013, this had all been resolved and we now accept the Universe to be approximately 13.8 billion years old. This talk traces the ideas, evidence and reasoning for the answers to this most fundamental of questions.

Stephen runs “The Astronomical Unit” which exists to make reliable astronomical information available to all. He does this through providing free information on the web site and undertaking outreach activities, including Star-tales (astronomy-based story-telling for children and adults), giving Astronomical Talks and running Astronomy Courses in the local community. These outreach activities are run both independently and in association with local astronomical societies, the National Trust, BBC Stargazing Live, local community groups, schools, colleges and adult learning centres.

The Vectis Astronomical Society meets on the 4th Friday of every month, except for December. This event is open for non-members to attend. The speakers come from all over the country and give a presentation for around 45 mins. We then stop for a break with tea and biscuits, which gives an opportunity to mingle and chat. The second half of the evening one of our regular members will give a short 20min ‘what’s in the sky this month’ presentation.

We have a suggested donation of £2.50 for Non Members of Vas.