LECTURE
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The Inspiration of Star Trails: A Journey from Myth to Science
Prof. Chuanshan Tian from Fudan University
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Where science often begins: by looking up at the night sky with curiosity. From the motions of the Sun, Moon, planets, and comets, it traces humanity’s long effort to understand nature, from ancient astronomical records and Greek models of the cosmos to Copernicus, Kepler, Galileo, Newton, and Halley. Rather than presenting science as a collection of established facts, the talk highlights how scientific knowledge develops through observation, experiment, mathematical reasoning, hypothesis, prediction, and continual revision. It explores a deeper question: why is nature understandable at all, and what allows us to discover its underlying patterns? By connecting scientific rigor with a childlike sense of wonder, the talk encourages students to see learning not simply as acquiring knowledge, but as developing the ability to ask meaningful questions and confront complex scientific and societal challenges.