Zooming out & back in; an astronomical perspective - Frans Snik (ENG)

LOCATION: OLD OBSERVATORY

LABEL: TALK

TIME: 21:00

The film “Powers of Ten” (1977) by Charles and Ray Eames is an icon of science communication and collaboration between artists and scientists. It has forever changed our view of humanity's connections to the largest scales of the universe and to the smallest subatomic particles. Moreover, the film has had a major influence on the idea of ​​humanity as part of planet Earth. What is less known is that Powers of Ten is based on the book “Cosmic View” (1957) by the Dutch educator Kees Boeke. Recent research has made it plausible that the Dutch astronomer Henk van de Hulst (later director of the Leiden Observatory) made essential contributions to the development of the concept of Cosmic View and Powers of Ten as a student in the late 1930s. In the current era of major discoveries in the field of exoplanets and developments to detect signs of extraterrestrial life, this concept is more relevant than ever. The current major changes on planet earth also require scalable perspectives, both in space and in time. In this lecture, Leiden astronomer Frans Snik takes you through the history and future of zooming out and in of planet Earth.