Physics and Astronomy Colloquium

This illustrated talk is directed toward both scientists and the general public. It will be on the interactions between imagination, the limits of imagination, speculation and some understanding of nature. Examples ranging from Leonardo da Vinci, through Jules Verne, the comic books, the Apollo landings on the Moon, and the astronomical exploration of the Universe. It is meant to stimulate thought on what really constitutes exploration and how popularization both stimulates and confuses real exploration. It may lead nations astray in wild “star wars” enterprises that are not really exploration. The talk will be leavened by humor and a variety of illustrations from “pulp fiction”, and end in the mystery of quasars and dark matter. The latter will not be explained.