Institute of Astronomy Cambridge

02/06/2026

Professor of Astrophysics (1909) Hiranya Peiris has published a piece in the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists on a structural gap in current AI safety frameworks — one that Forbes this week paired with Pope Leo XIV's encyclical on AI as two defining texts on the moment we're in.

Prof. Peiris's article: https://thebulletin.org/2026/05/ai-can-chart-a-course-to-disaster-faster-than-humans-can-notice/

Piece in Forbes: https://www.forbes.com/sites/martinwhittaker/2026/05/28/business-leaders-hold-the-pen-on-ais-next-chapter/

Leaders stand at an AI crossroads where their decisions will define the future, shaping innovation, risk and public trust in the years ahead.

22/05/2026

IoA alumna and science educator Dr Sarah Crick launches her first astronomy book for children at the IoA on 4th July. Get tickets here:

Celebrate the launch of Mira's Moon at family fun events in Hook, Hampshire (20 June) and Cambridge (4 July). Space activities, storytelling and a copy of the book included.

11/05/2026

Step inside the universe… 🌌✨

A little look inside our brand-new pop-up planetarium 👀
From the moment the lights go down, you’re surrounded by the cosmos 🚀🌠

Ready to explore space without leaving Earth?

21/04/2026

Something exciting is taking shape… 👀

Our brand-new pop-up planetarium is ready to bring the wonders of space to you—right here at the Institute of Astronomy. 🌠

10/04/2026

How is the James Webb Space Telescope transforming our view of the early universe?

Join Prof. Richard Ellis for "Beyond Hubble: Studying the Earliest Galaxies with the James Webb Space Telescope", a public lecture on what JWST is revealing about the first galaxies to form after the Big Bang.

📅 Wednesday 22 April 2026, 5:30–6:30pm
📍 Winstanley Lecture Theatre, Trinity College, Cambridge, CB2 1TJ

Book your free place:

Beyond Hubble: Studying the Earliest Galaxies with the James Webb Space Telescope - Prof. Richard Ellis – Winstanley Lecture Theatre, Trinity College, Wed 22 Apr 2026 - One hundred years ago, Edwin Hubble confirmed the presence of galaxies of various morphological forms beyond our own Milky Way.....

07/04/2026

Our 1909 Professor Hiranya Peiris appeared on The Life Scientific, talking to Jim Al-Khalili about pioneering the modern era of precision cosmology and revolutionising our understanding of the universe.

Hiranya Peiris on discovering the origin and evolution of the universe.

03/04/2026

Our 1909 Professor Hiranya Peiris has a new Nature article out, titled "Large language models are not the problem".

If a Large Language Model (LLM) can replicate your scientific contribution, the problem is not the LLM. What does it say about our field that so much of the anxiety about AI comes down to the fear that a machine could do what we do? Perhaps it says we should be doing something better.

If a Large Language Model (LLM) can replicate your scientific contribution, the problem is not the LLM. What does it say about our field that so much of the anxiety about AI comes down to the fear that a machine could do what we do? Perhaps it says we should be doing something better.

21/03/2026

Our doors are open for the 2026 Cambridge Festival Open Day! Come along between 2-6pm to launch rockets, see yourself in invisible light, have your face painted like a galaxy, and more!

18/03/2026

Our Cambridge Festival Open Day is coming up this Saturday 21st March!

From 2-6pm you'll be able to discover the Universe as you explore our lovely wooded site. There will be activities for all ages, including children's craft activities, Kerbal Space Program, face painting, fun with galaxies, lectures for all ages, an astronomical trail exploring life in the Universe, and more!

This event is free, and you don't need to book. See more: https://www.public.ast.cam.ac.uk/ioa-kicc-open-day-2026