Western Sydney Amateur Astronomy Group

Professor Miroslav D. Filipovic is a scientist, philosopher and philanthropist with over 35 years of experience in astronomy. Astronomy, science, philosophy and computing are his profession, hobby, interest and passion. Research in astronomy has been a source of fascination for him since the early 1980s. Since May 2002, Professor Filipovic has been affiliated with Western Sydney University (WSU) and has been responsible for the development of various programs at WSU. He is a fellow of the Astronomical Society of Australia, Australian Institute of Physics, a Fellow of the Royal Society of NSW, an editorial board member of the SAJ and a member of the International Astronomical Union.

Speaker: Prof Miroslav Filipovic - WSU

Topic: The future is here! Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Future* (*But Were Afraid to Ask)

This is an exciting time for the discovery of new objects and processes. New-generation instruments across the entire waveband offer a significant opportunity to study the Universe and the processes of elemental enrichment. The question of whether there is life on other planets has fuelled a decade of exciting discoveries in the field of exoplanet research. The number of known exoplanets has grown beyond 5,000 to date, and with the launch of the James Webb Space Telescope, we can now probe the atmospheres of the nearest systems directly, allowing us to search for tracers of life. However, most current approaches to finding life are based on a “follow-the-water” strategy. Here, we present a different approach by studying the impact of Galactic cosmic-rays (CRs) on potentially habitable planets around sun-like stars. Most of the CRs that interact with the Earth’s atmosphere originate directly from the Sun. However, because they have low energy, they are absorbed high in the atmosphere and contribute little to the radiation dose we receive at the surface. On the contrary, the Galactic CR spectrum extends to much higher energies, allowing the particle-induced cascades to reach ground level and directly impact life. I will review the latest scientific findings and philosophical challenges arising from new discoveries. They all reflect on our cosmic past, present, and future. These are the golden days for STEM. …and, maybe, the Earth deserves to be called Galactic National Park?

Visitors wishing to attend in person or online via Zoom must email us to make a booking.