Flamsteed Astronomy Society

Dr Radmila Topalović

Humans have been devising methods of timekeeping for about 10 000 years, these calendars are intrinsically linked to the motions of the Earth, Moon and Sun. In this talk we explore how people around the world kept track of time and how we eventually arrived at the calendar that we all use today, along with continuing variants used by different cultures. We’ll also see how the calendar might change a long way into the future.

Radmila Topalović is Lead Astronomy Education Officer at the Royal Observatory Greenwich. Her PhD research focused on searching for large organic molecules in various nebulae and she used to teach GCSE Astronomy at the Observatory. She is co-author of Stargazing: A Beginner’s Guide to Astronomy, she has contributed to Astronomy Photographer of the Year 2015 and 2016 and has worked on Galaxy, all published by Harper Collins. She has written articles for The Guardian Starwatch column and The Mercury Night Sky column. Listen to her monthly astronomy podcast Look Up! (with ROG Astronomer Dhara Patel) on Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/user-429302439.