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Heather Couper and Nigel Henbest, two top writers on matters astronomical, provided a fascinating background to the characters who shaped our understanding of the universe, from the Aboriginals of 4000 years ago to the astronomers of the present day.
We can now drop into our dinner party conversation the fact that Tycho Brahe died of mercury poisoning and not an exploding bladder as popular belief has it. You may well ask who Tycho Brahe was: well, as far as I remember, he was a tip top seventeenth century astronomer. This and many other snippets of information concerning lives less ordinary were given during this marvellous talk.
Our own infinitesimal place in the Cosmos becomes all too apparent when talking of the stars. This was emphasised by the breathtaking photos shown of outer space that were taken from the Hubble Space Station. Once more we came face to face with the beauty and fragility of our planet.
An eclectic bunch gathered to listen to the talk, from strange other worldly astronomers to the worldly wise, all of whom agreed how much they had enjoyed the evening.
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