Seeing the invisible: observing the dark side of the univers

Event Name:	Seeing the invisible: observing the dark side of the univers
Description:	It seems that most of the universe is made up of mysterious ingredients which we cannot see directly. I will describe in pictures gravitational lensing, the bending of light by gravity, which is predicted by Einsteins General Relativity. The dark components of the universe do not emit or absorb light, but do exert a gravitational attraction, and it turns out that gravitational lensing is one of the most promising methods for finding out more about them. This is very similar to looking through a bathroom at streetlamps outside, and using the distorted images to learn about the patterns in the glass. I will review the current observations and the upcoming surveys.
Type of Event:	Astronomy - Space Events
Event Agenda:
Event Location:	The Royal Society
Event City:	London
Type of Venue:	Community Center
Station/Stop:
Directions:
Event Start Date	01-Oct-09