Adult: $30
Concession: $25
Child (Ages 5 to 17): $20
Location: Perth Observatory
Date: Saturday, 31st of January
Time: 8 pm (Doors open at: 5 pm)
Defending Earth: Inside the Planetary Defence Frontier with Associate Professor David Coward.
Are we ready for the next Chelyabinsk?
How do we find “City Destroyers” before they find us?
Join us for an unmissable summer lecture with Associate Professor David Coward, one of Australia’s leading voices in planetary defence, asteroid tracking, and space situational awareness.
With a career spanning gravitational-wave science, gamma-ray bursts, black hole formation, and cutting-edge robotic telescopes, Professor Coward has been at the heart of some of the biggest breakthroughs in modern astronomy. He played a key role in the global team that first detected gravitational waves, a discovery that earned the prestigious Breakthrough Prize in Physics.
As project lead for the Zadko Telescope, Coward helped turn Western Australia into a world-class hub for transient astronomy, from capturing the first light of colliding neutron stars to tracking satellites and high-velocity space debris over Australia.
More recently, he has been called upon by the NASA Planetary Defence Office and the International Asteroid Warning Network to help prepare for potential asteroid impact scenarios. Through the Southern Hemisphere Asteroid Research Consortium (SHARC), Coward is working to detect the dangerous 50–100 m asteroids that could strike Earth with little warning.
If anyone knows what’s heading our way and how we can defend our planet, it’s him.
Please be aware that the event will take place on the Observatory’s back lawn, weather permitting. Remember to bring blankets and warm clothing to ensure a comfortable experience.
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