Watchlist | Dark Days in Space

The days become shorter and we have some dark days ahead of us. During this time of the year we normally collaborate with the Kapteyn Astronomical Institute to organize the yearly Blaauw Lecture where we talk about recent astronomical research. This year, this Blaauw lecture is postponed. A perfect time to shine light on our lectures about the darker side of space: from massive black holes to dark forces in the Universe.

1. Massive Black Holes at the Heart of Galaxies
How and when did these black holes form and grow to reach these gargantuan masses? In this Blaauw Lecture, astronomer Marta Volonteri takes us on a journey spanning the whole age of the Universe, starting from the very first stars and galaxies emerging after the Big Bang. (5 November 2019).
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2. Supermassive Black Holes: The Ultimate Galaxy Killers?
In this Hendrik de Waard Lecture, Rebecca Smethurst focusses on the conflict in astrophysical research between the actual observations in the Universe and the current best models of this Universe that researchers are working with. (29 November 2018).
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3. Ligo Hears the Sound of Colliding Black Holes
Gravitational waves detected: Einstein would be thrilled! David Reitze will talk about how he and his team made the detection and discuss how gravitational astronomy promises to change our understanding of the Universe. (3 March 2016).
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4. Dark Forces in the Invisible Universe
Magnetic fields are elusive, we cannot see them directly - only the effect of the forces they exert on other things. What is the effect that cosmic magnetic fields have on matter in the Universe? How can we use new radio telescopes to probe these dark forces in order to understand magnetic fields? In this Blaauw Lecture, Anna Scaife talks about these dark forces in the invisible Universe. (11 October 2017).
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