Prof. Alan Fitzsimmons – Planetary Defence: Preventing Asteroid Impacts
10 Apr, 2025
£8
In-person tickets are now SOLD OUT, but viewers can still join this highly-anticipated lecture online via livestream.
Lovell Lecture Series 2025
19.30 – 21.00
Telescopes around the world are closely monitoring the building-sized asteroid 2024 YR4, working to determine the risk of impact with Earth and highlighting the critical importance of planetary defence efforts. Over the past four years, these efforts have grown as scientists have launched ground-breaking missions to test methods for deflecting dangerous asteroids in the future.
Join Professor Alan Fitzsimmons, a leading expert in planetary defence, to explore how telescopes are used to discover asteroids and calculate impact risks, as well as the cutting-edge solutions being developed to protect our planet.
About Prof Alan Fitzsimmons
Alan Fitzsimmons is Professor of Astronomy at Queen’s University Belfast, UK. He is an expert on our Solar System and an author of over 170 scientific papers and reports. Primarily an observational astronomer, he has used telescopes all over the world, from the Very Large Telescope in Chile to the Hubble Space Telescope. One of his specialist areas is planetary defence, working with NASA and ESA to protect us against asteroid impacts. Alan is quite happy that the asteroid and comet named after him will not hit the Earth in the next few thousand years.
Guests joining us in-person who have not yet already can place an evening meal order from the menu below:
MENU
Pie, Mash, Peas & Gravy – £11.95:
- Cheese & Onion, packed with gooey mature cheddar cheese, sautéed onions, and potato (v, halal) 2022 SILVER: The British Pie Awards
- Steak & Stout Flank Steak, bathed in Guinness stout for 24 hours, braised and slow-cooked with carrots, garlic, onions, bay leaf, and thyme, with a rich stout gravy
- Aloo Saag Spinach & Sweet Potato, cooked in our own blend of spices with a spicy tomato curry sauce (v, vegan, halal)
The First Light Café will be open from 18.00 – 19.15, with the last sitting at 18.50.
image Professor Alan Fitzsimmons