James Fradgley

Located in Wimborne Dorset and willing to travel approximately 30 miles
I am also able to give talks by Zoom

Tel 07990 558358

BA Physics with Astronomy. MSc. FRAS

Lecture Topics:

Life in the Universe - Are the aliens really there? Astronomical & evolutionary factors for assessing the probability of there being complex life out there
How (on Earth) did Life Start? - The biochemistry of getting life started: did it start on Earth, and how plausible is the Panspermia theory?
Planets, Life & Panspermia - What does it take astronomically to make an appropriate environment for life to get started, and what sort of life can cross space (extracts from the 2 talks above).
Orbital Oddities - Strange goings-on with 3 or more bodies' - Lagrange points, resonances, Roche limits, lots of odds and ends (with simulations).
'Bad Science' - A rant (some of it Astronomical) by a "Grumpy Old Man".
The Sun's Life Story' - From a bouncing baby cloud of gas and dust to a miserly old White Dwarf.
Variable Stars - What makes them Tick?' - Variable stars are common: what makes (some of the) different types of star vary.
Astronomical Causes of Climate Change' - More factors than they tell you about in the press: solar effects, Milankovitch etc.
Inside Stars - Cooking Pots for the Elements' - How (most of) the elements are made in stars, and please don't think all the heavy ones are made in supernovae.
The Birth of the Solar System' - A view on how different sorts of planets and other bodies came to be where they are, with some heterodox comments.
Tides on the Earth - How do they really work?' - A really messy subject, especially in the English Channel.
Light' - Some of the amazingly detailed things a few photons can tell us about the universe, by analysing spectra.
'Calendars: Cultures and Clocks' - A brief history of calendric development, including astronomical and political factors, with curious details from many cultures.
'Discs round Stars and in Galaxies' - A look at how discs form and some of the things they do in binary star systems and Active Galactic Nuclei.
The Story of Radio Astronomy' - From how it all started to the sort of things we're looking at today.
'Our World in Motion' - The various ways in which the Earth moves, including some history of the development of ideas.
'Active Galaxies - What are they?' - A look at a large number of Active Galactic Nuclei (AGNs) with details of what's going on.
'Comets' - What they are, where they come from, some history and effects of collisions with Earth.
'Geography and Geology in the Solar System' - Amazing differences between the planets and moons in the solar system.
Impacts on Earth - Large and Small' - Risk, destruction and what can we do?
The First Billion Years' - Dawn, the Dark Ages and Early Galaxies
Asteroids' - What and where they are: a lot of moving about and risk
Strife Among the Martian Canals' - A look at life on Mars as seen by Lowell's theories and Wallace's refutation.
Rodinia and the Boring Billion' - What does Earth's history tell us to look for to find life on exo-planets?
Dark Matter and Dark Energy (for schools)
'The Angular Momentum Problem' - Why do stars rotate so slowly? A look at the early life of stars.
'The Universe' - A brief look at various odds and ends and what we know about them (or think we know).

to top of page ~ print this page