Presentation and Book Signing by Dr. Richard Ellis

On Friday, April 7, 2023, Dr. Richard Ellis (University College London and Caltech) will discuss the first results from the James Webb Space Telescope and sign copies of his recent book, “When Galaxies Were Born.” His presentation will take place at 7:00 p.m. live in the Leonard Nimoy Event Horizon and online on YouTube. Admission to the presentation is free, on a first-come, first-serve basis. The book signing will follow the presentation. Books are available for sale at the Stellar Emporium bookstore and gift shop at the Observatory.

Dr. Richard Ellis is Professor of Astrophysics at University College London. A Welshman by birth, he has held professorial positions at Durham, Cambridge, and Oxford universities and spent 16 years at the California Institute of Technology where he was Director of Palomar Observatory. Dr. Ellis is a Fellow of the Royal Society and was awarded the Gold Medal of the Royal Astronomical Society and the Royal Medal of the Royal Society for his research achievements in cosmology and galaxy evolution. One of the most highly-cited astronomers, he has recently published a semi-autobiographical account of the progress over his career in studying distant galaxies in “When Galaxies Were Born: The Quest for Cosmic Dawn”(Princeton 2022).

The first billion years after the Big Bang represent the final frontier in assembling a complete picture of cosmic history. During this period early galaxies formed and the universe first became bathed in starlight. How and when did all this occur? Recent progress with the James Webb Space Telescope suggests we may soon witness this dramatic period when the universe emerged from darkness. Richard Ellis will describe the astonishing progress in this quest up to and beyond the launch of JWST. The motivation is fundamental: the origin of starlight began the process of chemical evolution which ultimately led to our own existence in this remarkable universe.