One of the talks I give these days is an overview of the many areas of current astronomical research. The field is very exciting right now because many of the “big questions” — the size, shape, age, and fate of the cosmos, for example — are either being answered or within reach. Quite a few of you who attended this talk of mine at the Northeast Astronomy Forum, in Hawaii, or in Pennsylvania asked about making a video of the talk so astronomy clubs around the country could see it.

So I went to our studio at Kalmbach Publishing Co. and walked through the talk, pretending I had an audience!

I’m presenting the second of five parts that add up to some 40 minutes or so altogether. You can find it at the “Dave’s Universe videos” section of Astronomy.com.

If you want to know about the latest thinking on facets of planetary science, astrophysics of the Milky Way and other galaxies, and cosmology, check out this video and the other installments throughout the week, and let me know what you think.

Enjoy!