By learning how atomic nuclei behave, form, and change, we begin to understand how the stars, and particularly, our sun produce their power.

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This was recorded on 2 Dec 1993.
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This year marks 200 years of the Royal Institution Christmas Lectures — a world famous series showcasing science, curiosity, and mind-blowing demos, and started by the legendary Michael Faraday himself. To celebrate, we're unlocking the archive. Every Saturday, we’ll upload a classic lecture to our YouTube channel — some not seen since they aired on TV. Sign up as a Science Supporter and get early access here: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCYeF244yNGuFefuFKqxIAXw/join
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From the 1993 programme notes:
The big bang, happened 20 billion years ago. Over 100,000 years elapsed before the Universe was cool enough for atoms to survive; their seeds – the atomic nucleus – were cooked in stars, but the simplest examples were already formed within about 3 minutes of the big bang. Much of what we see happening around us day by day at home and at work involves atoms and molecules – the stuff of biology and chemistry. Moreover, the stars, such as the sun, are nuclear physics in operation – their central heat is like the Universe when only a few minutes old.
The first signs of the atomic nucleus come with radioactivity. Everything is radioactive to a greater or lesser extent. You can hear radioactivity by means of Geiger counters; you can see its radiation by means of a cloud chamber, or by the dark trails when a speck of radium is dropped onto a photographic emulsion.
We can photograph nuclear collisions and nuclear transmutation by means of a cloud chamber and see how to 'weigh' the nuclei of different elements by means of atomic billiards. Many nuclei are magnetic and send out radio signals. This 'nuclear magnetic resonance' can be used to produce images of the brain at work.
By learning about atomic nuclei, how they behave, form and change, we begin to understand how the stars and, in particular, our sun produce their power.
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About the 1993 CHRISTMAS LECTURES
These lectures explore a century of discovery, beginning in 1893—a time before scientists knew of radioactivity, electrons, or atoms, and had no idea how stars shine or that galaxies rush away from a Big Bang. Despite this, many believed they were close to fully understanding nature. But discoveries at the century’s turn shattered that view, revealing a deeper, more complex reality.
By 1993, people spoke of a “Theory of Everything” and pondered whether we could “know the mind of God.” Yet again, there were signs that all was not well. These lectures trace this journey through discovery and debate, ending with a look toward the next hundred years.
They will show how each breakthrough not only answers questions but opens new ones—driving innovation, creating new tools, and extending our reach far beyond our senses.
While our eyes see nearby stars and fine detail, and our ears detect fleeting sounds, it’s our “sixth sense”—the tools of science—that let us look deep into atoms and far across the cosmos. Telescopes capture ancient light; particle accelerators recreate the moments after the Big Bang.
At the smallest scales, we image subatomic particles living for billionths of a second. Like hieroglyphs revealing ancient secrets, these modern symbols tell the story of creation—and may even hint at our future.
Find out more about the CHRISTMAS LECTURES here: https://www.rigb.org/christmas-lectures
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