13th Lewis Elton Lecture: Down to Earth Astronomy: A tour of the radio universe

The Universe has a lot to tell us and, so far, we have not been paying attention. Our daytimes are bright with sunlight, obscuring the starlight of the surrounding galaxy. Tune in to the longer wavelengths of light though, and the Milky Way lights up, the intensity of the radio emissions dwarfing that of the local Sun. Optical astronomy has always stolen the headlines, producing iconic images taken with the legendary Hubble Space Telescope. But what are we missing by focusing only on what our eyes have evolved to see? What is waiting for us in plain sight, if we can just construct a different kind of ‘eye’?

In this talk, we will embark on a journey across both time and space, utilising an array of radio observatories from around the world, and the space-based infra-red James Webb Space Telescope. Prepare to experience the pulses of stars, search for signs of extraterrestrial intelligence, and uncover the secrets of galaxies and the black holes at their hearts, among other extraordinary revelations stretching back to the dawn of the Universe. With the impending construction of the Square Kilometre Array — set to be the largest radio telescope ever built — we stand on the brink of an unprecedented revolution in almost every area of astrophysics.

It’s time to close our eyes and start listening to the skies.

Dr Emma Chapman is a Royal Society research fellow based at the University of Nottingham and is among the world’s leading researchers in search of the first stars to light up our Universe. Emma uses large radio telescope arrays such as LOFAR to search for the tiny, signal of the first stars but she is also interested in applying her signal processing techniques to search for technosignatures from extra-terrestrial civilisations. Emma published her first popular science book, ‘First Light’, in 2020 and her second, third and fourth books are now in progress, sometimes all at once.

Emma is a respected media commentator on astrophysical matters, but is also vocal about gender equality issues in the sciences. She has been the recipient of multiple commendations and prizes, including the Royal Society Athena Medal for driving nationally impactful policy changes concerning sexual harassment issues in higher education.