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Black Hole

Lensing of space time around a black hole. At Oxford we study black holes observationally and theoretically on all size and time scales - it is some of our core work.

Credit: ALAIN RIAZUELO, IAP/UPMC/CNRS. CLICK HERE TO VIEW MORE IMAGES.

Prof. Michael Backes

Associate Professor (UNAM) & Visitor (Oxford)

Research theme

  • Astronomy and astrophysics
  • Particle astrophysics & cosmology

Sub department

  • Astrophysics

Research groups

  • Pulsars, transients and relativistic astrophysics
  • Gamma-ray astronomy
michael.backes@physics.ox.ac.uk
Telephone: +264-61-206-3789
Global Young Academy
orcid.org/0000-0002-9326-6400
SAO/NASA ADS
African Scientists Directory
DPG Young Leaders in Physics
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Dark Sky Tourism

More than 99% of European and North American residents live under light-polluted skies, and for a third of people worldwide the Milky Way is entirely obscured (Falchi et al. 2016).
Dar Sky Tourism

Where astronomy meets sustainable development

Link to the site

Outreach & Media

Keen on sharing his passion for astronomy, Dr Backes heads the Astronomy Section of the Namibia Scientific Society.

He has featured in a multitude of radio interviews (in German and English), in Popular Science and the Experience Magazine (also as headline on nature.com: Why Namibia might be the next big thing in astronomy, 27/01/2020 ) and also in television as listed below.

NBC - Good Morning Namibia

Namibia Broadcasting Cooperation, Windhoek, 20/10/2021

Interview with Prof. Michael Backes and Dr Eli Kasai about astronomy in Namibia.

Namibia, Expo 2020 - Dubai

One of the best space research destinations on earth - Namibia, 05/10/2020

Interview with Dr Eli Kasai and Prof. Michael Backes about astronomy in Namibia.

Accompanying news article: Namibia - the ideal location for exploring outer space

"Namibia is an ideal location for research into astronomy and astrophysics. There are quite a number of reasons for that claim – and actually some interesting ones", says Dr Eli Kasai, Senior Lecturer and Head of Department at the University of Namibia’s Department of Physics, Chemistry and Material Science.

NMH - Africa Good Morning

Namibia Media Holdings, Windhoek, 11/06/2021

Interview with Dr Michael Backes about the long GRB afterglow detected by H.E.S.S.

CNN - Inside Africa

Cable News Network World, 15/04/2020:
Southern African Stargazers

Cutting-edge astronomy and ground-breaking projects in South Africa and Namibia are pioneering new ways of seeing the universe.
Accompanying news article: The missing link in the study of black holes? Africa Millimetre Telescope could unlock new secrets

 

NBC - Good Morning Namibia

Namibia Broadcasting Cooperation, Windhoek, 12/04/2019


Interview with Dr Michael Backes and his student Lott Frans about the Africa Millimetre Telescope project in Namibia.

African/European collaborations press briefing at EWASS 2018

European Week of Astronomy and Space Science (EWASS) 2018 Royal Astronomical Society (RAS) ACC Liverpool, 05/04/2018

Mirjana Povic, Michael Backes, and Kevin Govender discuss diversity and the African/European collaboration at EWASS 2018 with Marieke Baan, and Robert Massey from the Royal Astronomical Society. Filmed on day three of the European Week of Astronomy and Space Science (EWASS), held at the Arena & Convention Centre (ACC), Liverpool, United Kingdom, 3 – 6 April 2018.

One Africa Television - Today on One

Namibia, the leading destination for Astronomy, Windhoek, 31/01/2018

also available on facebook.

Interview with Dr Michael Backes and two students about H.E.S.S. in Namibia
S. Taapopi - Namibia is on the map when it comes to science, especially in astrophysics as many scientists aspire to carry out astronomical observations in the country. The University of Namibia (UNAM) announced this week that Namibians were among a group of international scientists who won the Physics World 2017 Breakthrough of the Year award. Senior Lecturer in the Department of Physics at UNAM, Dr Michael Backes, says astrophysics research is a prestigious project and good exposure for Namibia.

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