About this episode

Steve Eales discusses the unexpected origins of the Herschel Space Observatory and its significance in astrophysics.

The idea that sparked a billion-dollar space telescope was recorded in the most unlikely of places: a scrap of paper fished out a pocket while gondolas sailed by in Venice. In this talk, award-winning astrophysicist and science communicator Steve Eales of Cardiff University takes us on the unlikely journey of the Herschel Space Observatory, the most sensitive far-infrared space telescope yet launched. This talk wes recorded at the recent AstroCamp in Cwmdu, Wales Produced by Paul, Jen, John, Damien & Dustin

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