The Science of Time

Time is the broadest area of study, yet also the most mysterious. Physicists speculate that the arrow of time arises from boundary conditions of entropy in the early universe. Yet time is the bread and butter of historical study, how we "keep everything from happening all at once”. Time has been of particular importance in the History of Astronomy. Astronomers were the first timekeepers, of course, relying on the rhythms of sun, moon, stars and planets. Yet, too, every observation of the sky is a snapshot of the past, a literal time machine; the cosmic microwave background is a postcard from the Big Bang. The clockwork cosmologies of Ptolemy and Copernicus are at the heart of our species’ epic exploration of the universe. Time is the organizing principle behind every story and all of history.
 
Abstract submission is now open for The Science of Time, a symposium to be held by the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics from 5-9 June 2016.* The breadth of topics will extend across Time in Astronomy & Society, Past, Present and Future. Your creative contribution will be welcome! Early registration continues through 15 April at http://sot2016.cfa.harvard.edu
 
– Rob Seaman, Jay Pasachoff and Arnold Rots for the Science and Local Organizing Committees
 
* Plus a tour of the Collection of Historical Scientific Instruments at Harvard University on 10 June (http://chsi.harvard.edu)