The USP is offering a conference “Why is the earth round?” given by Alain Riazuelo, (French astrophysicist, researcher at the Paris Astrophysics Institute and CNRS ambassador), on Friday January 17 at 6:30 p.m. at the Municipal Theater of Villefranche-de-Rouergue.
Alain Riazuelo is an astrophysicist, researcher at the Paris Institute of Astrophysics and at the CNRS, where he is the ambassador for the science festival. He obtained the special prize “Astronomy in Society” from the council of the French Society of Astronomy and Astrophysics. He specializes in the study of “black holes” at Paris Saclay and has published numerous popular works under the direction of Etienne Klein including “Journey to the heart of a black hole” and “Why the Earth is round”. He also collaborated with Roland Lehoucq on “Sciences of the Universe, of Big
Bang aux exoplanètes” and he appears in numerous French media to popularize science.
Why are the Earth, the stars, the planets of the solar system round, while the comets are not? Why is the Earth slightly flattened at the Poles.
Since when and how do we know this? How was life possible on Earth?
For a long time men believed that the Earth was a disk, the “flatists” still believe it. And this was the position of the Church until the Renaissance. Galileo (1564-1643), physicist, mathematician, surveyor, astronomer, inventor of astronomical glasses, had to recant before the Holy Office the assertion that the Earth was round and revolved around the Sun. This assertion being in contradiction with the biblical account of the creation of the Earth by God, at the center of the Universe, for man. However, since ancient times, Greek philosophers knew that the Earth was round. We even find a pre-Hinduist text which affirmed this. What were they based on? What evidence did they put forward?
Alain Riazuelo will tell us about the “adventure” of the Earth, its formation, its history, and even its possible future, between legends, myths and science. How did the solar system appear, did there exist one before this solar system? How far is Earth from the Sun, Moon? And why is the earth round, so can we stay with our feet on the Earth? What force keeps us on the ground? What have space missions taught us about our planet and the Universe? Can we predict the future of the Earth?
Alain Riazuelo will answer all these questions and many more on January 17 at the municipal theater.
Entrance: €8 members: €5 students and job seekers: €2.
