Committee For Popularization Of Science
Public Lecture
FACTS AND SPECULATIONS IN COSMOLOGY
Emeritus Professor J.V. Narlikar
Inter-University Centre for Astronomy and Astrophysics
Ganeshkhind, Post Bag 4, Pune - 411 007, INDIA
Date : Wednesday 3rd December 2008
Time : 4.00 p.m. onwards
Venue : Prof.V.K. Samaranayake Auditorium
University of Colombo School of Computing (UCSC)
All Are Welcome
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POSTGRADUATE INSTITUTE OF SCIENCE (PGIS)
University of Peradeniya
LECTURE/discussion
Facts and Speculations in Cosmology
Professor Jayant Narlikar
Inter-University Centre for Astronomy and Astrophysics
Ganeshkhind, Pune, INDIA
Friday, 5th December 2008 2.00 p.m.
PGIS AUDITORIUM (opposite the university cricket grounds)
ALL ARE WELCOME
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Facts and Speculations in Cosmology
This talk will discuss the present state of cosmology, the subject
dealing with the studies of the origin, evolution and end of the
universe in the large. In ancient times the thinkers had detailed
and complex notions about the cosmos but those were speculations
with no basis in real facts. With the progress of observational
astronomy, our understanding about larger and larger parts of the
universe grew and speculations gave place to more facts and science
based ideas. Modern cosmology is around a century old and it took
shape around Einstein's general relativity and the data on galaxies
from Edwin Hubble and his coworkers. Thus the concept of the
expanding universe was born. We will describe the successes of this
concept which have led cosmologists in modern times to be bolder and
apply their equations to find what the universe was like soon after
the big bang. It will be argued that despite the claimed results of
this approach, it is highly speculative and in many respects
unscientific.
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University of Moratuwa
LECTURE/discussion
WHY STUDY ASTRONOMY?
Professor Jayant Narlikar
Inter-University Centre for Astronomy and Astrophysics
Ganeshkhind, Pune, INDIA
Thursdy, 4th December 2008 11.00 a.m.
Electronic & Telecomunication Engineering
Seminar Hall 1 ENTC-1
ALL ARE WELCOME
WHY STUDY ASTRONOMY?
It is often argued that astronomy deals with remote and esoteric
objects like stars and galaxies very very far away and so its
studies are irrelevant to mankind. In this lecture it is shown that
this is not the case. For example, the present day achievements of
communications technology are largely based on satellite
communication, which is based on Newton's law of gravitation. Newton
could derive his law because he had Kepler's laws of planetary
motion as the base data. Kepler obtained these laws by observing
planets over many years and analysing their motions. In short it was
astronomy that really started the revolution that we today identify
with IT. Other examples are given and finally it is shown that it
is astronomical survey of all solar system objects like meteors,
asteroids, etc. being carried out today that will alert us to any
possible collisions of such objects with the Earth.
