Robert Gill received his first telescope for Christmas at the age of 10. He joined the California State University, Fullerton Physics Department in 1969 where he completed his degrees in Physics and Environmental Science. He taught physics and astronomy classes for the department. He later went on to become a CSUF administrator but continued to teach graduate and undergraduate classes at the university. Robert was the director of the university’s observatory. He was awarded emeritus status upon retirement.

He and his wife Diane moved from Fullerton to rural Fallbrook where he built his own astronomical observatory. He continued to teach the large lecture astronomy classes (150 students) as an adjunct professor at California State University, San Marcos until 2018. He continues doing research on variable stars, publishes, presents scientific papers and gives lectures on astronomical and space science topics onboard cruise ships.

Enrichment Type: Special Interest Speaker – Astronomy & Space Science
Title of Program: The Cosmic Quest
Available Program Lectures:

Topic #1 Title: The Cosmic Quest
In the introduction to the lecture series, we will be discussing what we will be talking about in the upcoming lectures and some of the interesting things that are happening in astronomy and space science today.

Topic #2 Title: The James Webb Space Telescope
The James Webb Space Telescope, the next generation telescope, has opened up new vistas in astronomy. We will look at how the telescope works, where it is and how we us it to see in the infrared. We will then look at the latest discoveries and images.

Topic #3 Title: Navigation & Timekeeping
We will look at the history of navigation and how an accurate timepiece is important in locating your position on the Earth. The accuracy of the clock and how time is maintained will be presented. We will also look at how time effects our calendar.

Topic #4 Title: Measuring the Universe
We will take a look at how we define the distances that we utilize to measure things. As we travel farther from Earth, we have to develop new techniques to measure these distances. These techniques give us a better understanding of the overall cosmological distance ladder.

Topic #5 Title: How Big is the Universe?
We will take a look at how astrophysicists determine the size of the universe. We will first discuss how large is large and then several of the properties of light that allow us to determine the size of the observable universe and what might lie beyond.

Topic #6 Title: The Life of a Star
We will take a look at how astrophysicists believe a star forms, lives its life and then dies. This interesting evolutionary process defines stars like our Sun as well as the other strange entities in the universe like neutron stars and black holes.

Topic #7 Title: Black Holes – Now You See Them, Now You Don’t!
People have a fascination with the elusive “black hole”. To understand a black hole, we will start our discussion with a bit of Einstein’s “warped space”. We will then discuss the formation of a black hole, its physical properties, how you can find one and finally an interesting paradox involving black holes and the formation of the universe.

Topic #8 Title: Galileo Galilei – Our First True Scientist!
We will start with a discussion of Galileo, the world’s first true scientist, his life and inventions. We will discuss the controversial philosophies leading to the beginnings of modern astronomy.

Topic #9 Title: Cosmology
We will take a look at the branch of astronomy that deals with the study of the origin, evolution, and eventual fate of the universe. Cosmology is studied by astronomers and physicists, as well as philosophers. A brief review of historical cosmological models will also be presented.

Topic #10 Title: The Search for Life
We have always asked if there is anybody besides ourselves out there in the universe. We will review the basic facts and ideas in our attempt to answer this question.

Topic #11 Title: Northern Lights
We will take a look at the phenomenon of the “Northern Lights”. To understand how aurora are formed, we will start our discussion with a review of Earth’s seasons and its magnetic field and how these seemingly unrelated topics allow us to view these spectacular occurrences.

Topic #12 Title: The Milky Way
We will take a look at how astronomers have historically formulated the concept of the galaxy in which we live. We will see how astrophysics has helped us understand the complexity of the galaxy’s structure and formation.

Topic #13 Title: Voyage into Space – Our First Steps
We will begin our journey into space. We will talk about early flight to the conquest of space using unmanned spacecraft. We will look at the early development of space technology and our early attempts to explore the solar system.

Planetarium (if available)
Can present planetarium presentations (either “canned” or presenter prepared).

Observation (Optional):
Weather permitting – observation of the night sky from the upper deck. Constellations, planets etc. will be pointed out.

Recent Cruise History for Robert Gill
Viking Asia 2019
Viking Asia 2019
Crystal Caribbean 2019
Royal Caribbean Spain 2022
Oceania Caribbean 2023