Astrofest 2012

10th Feb 2012 in Events

Climate change, the footprints of Apollo, alien worlds and the big bang are just some of the themes that will be covered by Europe’s biggest astronomy show this year.

Organized by Astronomy Now magazine, European AstroFest 2012 hits London’s Kensington Conference and Events Centre on 10-11 February. The two day conference and trade exhibition attracts thousands of participants and features speakers from across the astronomical world.

Keynote speakers at this year’s event include BAFTA award-winning particle physicist Dr. Simon Singh, who will offer a beginner’s guide to the big bang and cosmology, and lunar expert Dr. Noah Petro from NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, who will present some of the finest imagery returned from the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter to date, including astounding images of the Apollo landing sites.

Professor Don Kurtz will report on the latest findings of the acclaimed planet-hunting Kepler spacecraft with emphasis on the host stars of the alien solar systems, finding that severe stellar weather could be a potential killer for life on accompanying worlds.

Also in attendance is solar physicist Dr. Lucie Green who will present a 360-degree view of our Sun, and Dr. Stuart Clark, who considers one of the most contentious subjects in science: what is the Sun’s role in climate change?

Former MP Lembit Opik will also entertain the crowds with his story of the Opik-Oort debris cloud, and why it could spell trouble for the Earth in the future.

The show also features three floors of trade stands featuring telescope dealers, universities, publishers and astronomical societies.

Tickets to the lecture conference start at £15 per session, and entry into the trade exhibition is £6 for adults and £3 for children.

Tickets