Gordon Patston Memorial Lecture - Fred Watson

Guest Speaker: Professor Fred Watson

Title: "Artemis and beyond – humankind’s future on the Moon"

Abstract: We are currently in a time of unprecedented access to space, with mind-blowing satellite constellations, a score of interplanetary probes and two continuously crewed space stations. Yet in this flurry of activity there are intriguing echoes of a long-gone era. Six decades ago, the Apollo project enthralled the world – today we are witnessing a new venture with ambitions that could hardly be more different from Apollo’s flags and footprints. Artemis aims to achieve nothing less than a permanent human presence on the Moon. Join Fred Watson as he unpicks the past, present and future of lunar exploration in this entertaining and copiously illustrated talk. 

Biography: Fred Watson AM is an honorary professor of astronomy advocacy and engagement at Macquarie University and an adjunct professor at the University of Wollongong. From 2018 to 2024, he was the Australian Government’s first Astronomer-at-Large, having served for the previous 20 years as the Astronomer-in-Charge of the Australian Astronomical Observatory and before that working at Britain’s two Royal Observatories. He led several projects in advanced astronomical instrumentation and spectroscopic surveys, and today he is involved in both the history and future of Australian astronomy. He is perhaps best known in Australia for his award-winning radio and TV broadcasts, books, music and dark-sky advocacy – and internationally for the Space Nuts podcast. Fred has an asteroid named after him (5691 Fredwatson), but says that if it hits the Earth, it won't be his fault.

The Gordon Patston Memorial Lecture is usually presented in October or November each year, in honour of our founder. Find out more about Gordon Patston here: https://www.asnsw.com/history 

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