Essential Information
| Type | Talks and tours |
|---|---|
| Location | |
| Date and Times | Monday 24 November 2025 | Doors open at 6.30pm, event starts at 7.15pm |
| Prices | Flamsteed Members: FREE | Guests of Flamsteed Members: £15 | Royal Museums Greenwich Members: £12 |
| Flamsteed Member exclusive. Not a member? Join now |
What is the ‘Fermi Paradox’?
It refers to the mismatch between a widely held expectation that advanced technological life should be common in the Universe — recently given impetus by the discovery that other planetary systems are common — and the absence of any evidence for it.
In this lecture, we will briefly review attempted solutions to the paradox and conclude that either (i) extraterrestrial technological civilisations are extremely rare (or absent) in the Galaxy; or (ii) that they exist but are deliberately hiding from us.
Meet the speaker
Ian Crawford is an astronomer turned planetary scientist, and is currently Professor of Planetary Science and Astrobiology at Birkbeck College, University of London.
His research is split between lunar science, space exploration, and various topics in astrobiology.
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Main image curtesy: The Giants Guarding the Night © 王 鑫 - Astronomy Photographer of the Year 2024 People and Space