Halley Lectures

The Halley Lectures are a series of annual public lectures hosted by the University of Oxford, in memory of the astronomer Edmond Halley. Currently, some podcasts of the lectures can be found through the Oxford Physics Public Lectures These lectures aim to promote public understanding and engagement with science, mathematics, and related fields, and to inspire new generations of researchers and students to pursue careers in these areas. They are often delivered May or June each year at the Sir Martin Wood Lecture Theatre of the Clarendon Laboratory

History
The tradition of the Halley Lecture in the University of Oxford was founded by Henry Wilde  for the 1910  return of Halley's comet. By Wilde's direction, it is to be given annually on a subject related to astronomy or terrestrial magnetism. With time,University expanded their scope to interpret astronomy including astrophysics, and terrestrial magnetism to include "and terrestrial magnetism to include "the physics of the external and internal parts of the terrestrial globe" geophysics. The first Halley lecture  Celestial ejectamenta. was delivered by Henry Wilde himself on Tuesday, 10 May 1910.

Purpose
The purpose of the Halley Lectures is to bring leading experts in various fields to the University of Oxford, where they can share their knowledge and insights with the public. The lectures aim to promote public understanding and engagement with science and mathematics, and to inspire new generations of researchers and students to pursue careers in these areas.

Format
The Halley Lectures are open to the public and are typically well-attended by people of all ages and backgrounds. Each lecture lasts approximately one hour, and is followed by a Q&A session where the audience can ask questions and engage with the speaker.

Topics
The topics covered in the Halley Lectures are diverse and reflect the wide range of disciplines within science and mathematics that illuminate astronomy, astrophysics, cosmology, cosmogenesis, exobiology, and earth science. Selection of lecturers is made based on timeliness of the topic, their expertise and contributions to their respective fields.