Ray P. Norris
A decade or two ago, astronomers were struggling to understand the shape of our Universe, and how it started. Then followed a period of unprecedented discovery in which the pieces started to fall into place, and instead of discussing whether the Big Bang took place, we started to argue about its precise parameters. Then, just as quickly, the story started unravelling with the realisation that we were only seeing a tiny part of the whole picture, the expansion of the Universe was accelerating rather than slowing down, and the first stars and black holes were born far sooner after the Big Bang than anybody had suspected.
As we successfully answer yesterday’s questions, even more difficult questions are now being asked, and major unsolved problems remain. This talk starts by outlining our place in the Universe, discusses the discoveries which have re-shaped our view of the Universe, and what we need to do to take the next steps. It then traces our best guess of the history of the Universe from its earliest moments after the Big Bang, through the present time, to the ultimate end when the Universe dies, not with a bang, but with a whimper.