19/11/2025
Amazing free talk. Just register at https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/unveiling-the-secrets-of-hidden-supermassive-black-holes-tickets-1964124764042
Unveiling the secrets of hidden supermassive black holes!
The 2025 Caroline Herschel Prize Lecture by Dr Vicky Fawcett is on the evening of Thursday 20 November from 7:00pm until 8.30pm.
This amazing talk is FREE. Attend in person at 10 East Building, 0.17, University of Bath, Claverton Down, Bath BA2 7PJ or online.
All are welcome. Just register using https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/unveiling-the-secrets-of-hidden-supermassive-black-holes-tickets-1964124764042
Almost every known galaxy contains a supermassive black hole at its heart, including our own Milky Way, which have masses millions to billions that of our Sun. Understanding how these monster black holes shape their surroundings is crucial to our understanding of how galaxies evolve. Some black holes are very energetic, launching powerful winds and jets, and are referred to as “active”. We have recently found a population of these active black holes that are enshrouded by dust that exhibit peculiar properties. An emerging theory is that these dusty black holes represent a key stage in galaxy evolution.
About Dr Fawcett
Dr Fawcett is a Research Associate at Newcastle University. She works on quasars and how they influence their host galaxies. She has demonstrated excellence in research, including a strong publication record, and co-leadership of the working group on active galactic nuclei within the Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument (DESI) collaboration. She is an exceptional role model and promoter of increasing diversity in Astronomy and Physics. She also has an outstanding track record in outreach and communication, focussed on young people in the Northeast of England.
About the Caroline Herschel Prize
The Caroline Herschel Prize Lectureship was established in 2018 by what is now the Herschel Society, in association with the Royal Astronomical Society, to celebrate Caroline’s memory by supporting promising women astronomers early in their careers. Caroline, William’s younger sister, started out as his assistant, but in time became recognised as an important astronomer in her own right, was the first to be paid as such, and was awarded the RAS Gold Medal in 1828. The Caroline Herschel Prize Lecture is hosted by University of Bath in November in cooperation with the Herschel Society as part of the University’s public lecture series.
