The Brightest Explosions in the Universe

05 December 2006

Professor Edward PJ van den Heuvel

The Earth is hit each day by the bright flash of gamma rays lasting from a fraction of a second to several minutes. These bursts originate in distant galaxies as stars collapse and form black holes. The most distant bursts yet observed are from stellar explosions that occurred over 13 billion years ago, when the universe was only a few hundred million years old.

Professor Edward PJ van den Heuvel considers whether these bursts provide us with a glimpse of the first short-lived massive stars that formed during the ‘dark ages’ of the universe. He also discusses the potential dangers for life on Earth if a burst occurred nearby in our galaxy.

Broad Topics: Physical Science

Sub-topics: Astronomy & Astrophysics

Areas: ANU College of Science

Edward PJ van den Heuvel has been Professor of Astronomy at the University of Amsterdam since 1974. He led the university’s Astronomical Institute until September 2005 and the Center for High Energy Astrophysics from 1985 to 2005.

His research interests include stellar evolution and high-energy astrophysics, which seek to understand the formation and evolution of neutron stars and black holes. He is the author of over 200 papers in international scientific journals and has guided the research of over 40 PhD students. He has won numerous awards, including the 2002 Descartes Prize, the highest science prize of the European Union.

Part of the 2006 Toyota-ANU Public Lecture Series