Submitted by Administrator on Sun, 15/11/2020 - 22:40
The Stephen Hawking Centre for Theoretical Cosmology has teamed up with Discovery and the Kavli Institute for Cosmology, Cambridge on a documentary series exploring new windows on our Universe.
The Universe Unravelled series premieres on discovery + in November 2020, coinciding with the UK launch of this new digital platform. It's aimed at anyone who is curious about the Universe we live in, with no previous knowledge of cosmology required. In over 20 short episodes the series explores what we already know about the Universe, what cosmologists and relativists are working on right now, and where new observations may lead in the future. The programme is inspired by Stephen Hawking’s ground breaking work on cosmology, black holes and gravitational waves, and it features researchers from the Hawking Centre and the Kavli Institute for Cosmology at the University of Cambridge.
The series explores the big questions in contemporary research which are being driven by new observations, such as the recent discovery of gravitational waves. It starts with Einstein’s general theory of relativity, describing how massive objects warp the fabric of spacetime and how they can collapse under their own gravity to form black holes. It explores how these black holes can send gravitational waves rippling across spacetime, and what happens if you were to fall into a black hole. The series also describes the violent explosion that marked the beginning of our Universe, and how the Universe expanded from this initial Big Bang, forming all the structures we observe today – galaxies, stars and planets. It then probes the mysteries that still puzzle cosmologists, such as dark energy and dark matter. The series ends with a future outlook of what we might expect to learn from ambitious new observational programmes. All the basic concepts underlying are presented in an easily accessible manner, and it features stunning graphics, some produced in collaboration with Intel’s Advanced Visualization team.
The series features 17 CTC researchers explaining these remarkable concepts, together with members of the Kavli Institute of Cosmology, Cambrige. It offers a glimpse of what it's like to work at the cutting edge of cosmology: confronting sophisticated mathematics with observational data, employing some of the world's fastest supercomputers, and even daring to challenge Einstein's highly successful theory in an attempt to explain what has so far defied explanation. Viewers not only learn about the deepest secrets of our Universe, but also find out about the everyday life of students and staff at a world-leading research centre.
Further information available at:
Centre for Theoretical Cosmology
