Royal Institution Public Talk - Our accidental universe

Many of our most profound discoveries of the universe over the past century have been remarkably accidental. Join BBC Sky at Night presenter and Gresham Professor of Astronomy Chris Lintott as he unravels tales of peculiar accidents, remarkable individuals, and the occasional human oversight that have collectively shaped some of the most pivotal celestial revelations.

When capturing the first glimpses of the earliest galaxies, the Hubble Space Telescope was focused on a region of space presumed to be vacant. However, the image it produced was anything but – the iconic Hubble Ultra-Deep Field image revealed at least 10,000 galaxies.

Another astonishingly accidental discovery was the hidden story of Enceladus, one of Saturn’s myriad moons. Very little was known about Enceladus until NASA’s Cassini probe revealed its environment in more detail, including its capabilities as a potential haven for life.

The narrative continues with the revelation of pulsars, the remnants of colossal stars long extinguished. They were not uncovered through meticulous observation but rather as hidden gems within the unassuming data, disguised as background noise in the measurements of faint celestial radio signals.

As new observatories and state-of-the-art technology continue to develop, Chris calls for scientists to keep an open mind as the potential for discovery grows, allowing us to unravel the mysteries of the universe.