super/collider presents: Supermassive Black Holes with Dr. Meghan Gray

Dr. Meghan Gray is a Professor of Physics and Astronomy at the University of Nottingham. Her research makes use of telescopes around the world and in space to understand the largest structures in the Universe.

At the centre of our galaxy, the Milky Way, the motions of stars reveal the existence of a supermassive black hole over a million times the mass of our Sun.

Far from being a rare oddity, we now believe such extreme objects lurk at the heart of all galaxies, and in fact play an important role in the formation and evolution of their hosts.

In this talk, Meghan will explore our understanding of the physics behind such black holes, and how – far from being 'black' – in the right circumstances they can be some of the most luminous objects in the Universe.

Tickets are free for members and £3 for non-members.

All proceeds from our cultural programme go to the Kibera Hamlets School in Nairobi, where Second Home has funded the construction of a new school building designed by our architects Selgas Cano.