ASTRONOMY-The Final Frontier was the subject of a talk to Keighley Men's Forum.
Paul Neaves described how Babylonians and Egyptians were early observers and recorders, while over the centuries astronomy had shown people how to measure the passage of time and navigate oceans - as well as illustrating that we are not alone in the solar system, which is shared with seven other planets of varying sizes.
Astronomers had gradually added to our knowledge of the universe, said Mr Neaves.
Famous figures including Copernicus and Galileo were spotlighted together with Sir Isaac Newton and Gilstead-born Sir Fred Hoyle, who was an opponent of the 'Big Bang theory'.
Forum president Dave W Smith said it had been a "most interesting" presentation and he thanked Mr Neaves.
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