Astronomy for All Lectures
The Astronomy For All Lecture Series was started by Associate Fellow Charles Barclay in 2006 as a way of strengthening and reinforcing the link between Green Templeton, home of the Radcliffe Observatory, and astronomy and the Oxford Astrophysics Department in particular.
In 2003, Charles joined the Common Room of Green College (which merged with Templeton College five years later) as the first Astronomer since the Observatory moved in 1935. This arose from the discovery by Anne Charles (who worked at the Radcliffe Infirmary, then-next door) that the Victorian telescope which had been restored at Marlborough College in Wiltshire and opened by Professor Joe Silk, the Savilian Professor, had come from the Radcliffe Observatory in 1935.
It also transpired that, by chance, the original owner of the telescope, Joseph Gurney Barclay, was Charles’ great-grandfather’s first cousin. The telescope had been given to the Radcliffe Observatory and the Observer, Edward Stone, in 1885 and named the Barclay equatorial telescope.
Charles joined the astrophysics sub-department at the University of Oxford, first as a joint lead for an outreach project with Professor Roger Davies, the Philip Wetton Professor of Astrophysics, and then formally in 2004 as an Academic Visitor and member of the Department. He is also an Associate Fellow of Green Templeton, Outreach Astronomer and Director of the Blackett Observatory at Marlborough College.
The lecture series, is aimed at giving the college an astronomical focus and the three lectures now takes place at Green Templeton every year. Charles maintains consistency by delivering one talk himself, while the others are given by notable astronomers and young post-docs from the Department.
Contact
Please direct any questions about the Astronomy For All Lectures to events@gtc.ox.ac.uk.
Forthcoming events
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Previous events
Astronomy for All Lecture 2025
Wednesday 24 September 2025
Charles Barclay
Black holes in the Universe
Wednesday 10 May 2023
Professor Rob Fender, Head of Astrophysics, University of Oxford
A tale of two telescopes: the Vera C. Rubin Observatory and the Extremely Large Telescope
Thursday 26 May 2022
Aprajita Verma, Senior Researcher, Department of Physics, University of Oxford
Introduced by Michael Dixon, Principal, Green Templeton College
Illuminating the Dark Ages – the era of James Webb
Thursday 19 May 2022
Charles Barclay, Associate Fellow, Green Templeton College
Introduced by Rebecca Surender, Vice Principal, Green Templeton College
Spacecraft exploration of our solar system
Thursday 12 May 2022
John Zarnecki, Emeritus Professor, Department of Physical Sciences, The Open University
Introduced by Charles Barclay, Associate Fellow, Green Templeton College
The ‘computer’ who unlocked the Universe: celebrating pivotal women in astronomy
Thursday 20 May 2021
Introduced by Dr Rebecca Surender, Vice-Principal, Green Templeton
Charles Barclay. Associate Fellow, Green Templeton; Outreach Astronomer; Director of the Blackett Observatory at Marlborough College; and Academic Visitor in the Astrophysics sub-department at the University of Oxford.
Stories in the Sky – Cultural interpretations of visible patterns and rhythms
Thursday 28 May 2020
Charles Barclay, Associate Fellow, Green Templeton College, University of Oxford and convener of the annual Astronomy for All Lectures
Galaxy Zoo: from the lab to your living room
Wednesday 27 February 2019
Dr Becky Smethurst, Department of Astrophysics, University of Oxford
The gravitational sky
Wednesday 20 February 2019
Professor Mike Cruise, President of the Royal Astronomical Society
Reaching young stars: British Astronomy and Astrophysics Olympiad
Wednesday 23 January 2019
Charles Barclay, Vice President of the Royal Astronomical Society and Green Templeton Associate Fellow
🎓 Today we celebrated our newest graduates!
Guest speaker and alumna Kate Eisenstein (MSc History of Science, Medicine and Technology, 2010) reminded us:
‘Your biggest contribution might not stem from what you know, but from the new questions you dare to ask.’
Congratulations to all who graduated today! Welcome to the Green Templeton Alumni community! 🎉
It was wonderful to see so many alumni in Hong Kong for the inaugural dinner of the Green Templeton Hong Kong Alumni Society. A fantastic start to what promises to be a thriving community.
Enjoying a sunny autumnal walk around college ☀️🍂🍁
