Shadows of the Big Bang: The search for pristine gas fueling galaxies (Free Astronomy Public Lectures)

Presented Assoc. Prof. John O'Meara on 6th July 2014.Through the combination of large telescopes, advanced computer simulations and advancing theory, cosmologists have made significant progress in describing the universe on the largest scales and over cosmic times. However, many questions remain. Amongst these is a fundamental question underpinning the formation of galaxies - how do galaxies get the gas they need to fuel stars? In this talk, Assoc. Prof O'Meara will describe the hunt for this "pristine gas", left unaltered since its creation shortly after the Big Bang, and explore its implications for galaxy formation, including the formation of our own Milky Way.