Two names that will forever be associated with extra-terrestrial life — left, philosopher and heretic Giordano Bruno, and right, Frank Drake with his equation — will feature in Cork Astronomy Club’s public lecture on 11th May.
Monday 11th May is the final public lecture of the current season, which by tradition is given over to three short presentations from Club members
Eddie Lyons will give us “Frank Drake: the ‘Father’ of SETI”. Early in his career in radio astronomy, Drake formulated an equation to calculate the likelihood of detecting an alien intelligence. The Drake Equation influenced the search for extraterrestrial intelligence (SETI), and also became culturally significant. In this talk Eddie will discuss the origin and legacy of Drake’s equation.
Babs Hegarty’s theme also touches on extra-terrestrial life. She will bring us Giordano Bruno — his life, his beliefs, his trial by the Inquisition and execution.
And in a change of gear, Derek O’Keeffe will present an optimistic view of the future of astronomy in the artificial intelligence era, in a talk entitled “AI and Astronomy”.
Where and when: UCC’s Ashley Cummins building (formerly known as Civil Engineering, near College Road entrance to the main campus). 8 pm, Monday 11th May 2026. Please arrive 10 minutes early – or earlier if you wish to join our Club. This is a public lecture, all welcome. For UCC map go to Calendar