"Gravity, Gas and Stardust" is the Institute of Physics Schools and Colleges lecture for 2006 and is delivered by Pete Edwards of Durham University. The hour long lecture is aimed at 14-16 year old schoolchildren and is strongly linked to the national curriculum. Questions about the universe have preoccupied mankind since the beginning of civilisation. The last three years have witnessed considerable progress in our understanding of what makes out universe tick. Recent results fro ground-and spaced-based telescopes have revolutionised our view of the cosmos. for the first time in human history, we are getting close to answering the question, "How did the universe evlve into the beautiful place we see today?
The Institute of Physics is a scientific membership organisation devoted to increasing the understanding and application of physics. It has an extensive worldwide membership (currently over 34,000) and is a leading communicator of physics with all audiences from specialists through government to the general public.
