Wallal Expedition Centenary

Proving Einstein Theory of Relativity

On 1922 August 20, a 20-strong scientific team, together with a naval party of 10, left Fremantle on one of the major scientific expeditions in Western Australian history. After picking up further personnel at Broome, the party proceeded to the isolated post and telegraph station of Wallal on the northern coast of Western Australia. Their task was to measure with great care the deflection of starlight by the Sun during the total solar eclipse of 1922 September 21. Specially designed photographic equipment of very high quality was used and meteorological conditions were excellent. As a result, measurements were obtained for well over a hundred stars.

Led by UWA Professor Alexander Ross, the expedition to the north coast of Western Australia was a heroic effort involving astronomers, filmmakers, aviators, physicists, mathematicians, computer scientists, and the Indigenous Nyungumarta people who welcomed the group to their land.

This is a story of science, sailing ships, surf and donkeys, and innovative ideas that changed our understanding of space, time and gravity, and showcased Western Australia as a significant player in world science. This set the stage for recent discoveries of black holes and neutron stars crashing together to create powerful explosions that send gravitational waves echoing across the universe.

The two-week centenary celebrations feature a range of events and activities, including:

UWA Wallal Expedition Centenary

This September, The University of Western Australia is celebrating the centenary of the Wallal eclipse expedition - an iconic event that proved Albert Einstein’s theory of relativity.

From Sep 20th to Oct 2nd, 2022, 10:00am - 4:00pm.

As part of the centenary celebrations, visit the Winthrop Hall Undercroft for a special exhibition created by scientists, educators and renowned WA artist Mark Grey-Smith, designed to take you on a journey that starts in Wallal and finishes with the astonishing discoveries of black holes all over the universe.

Or join us for public lectures with internationally acclaimed physicist, cosmologist, and astrobiologist Regents' Professor Paul Davies AM, and Australian astrophysicist and ABC presenter, Professor Tamara Davis AM.

Or, register for FREE talks and workshops for school students on topics from black holes to quantum computers.

Understanding our place in the universe.

The science, engineering and technology advances underpinning the cosmic quest.

What is the elusive "dark energy" that's accelerating the universe? Why is the universe mathematical? Is time travel possible? What happens when a black hole evaporates?

Hear from these eminent speakers from around the globe answer these questions as we explore what’s shaping the universe and our existence!

• Paul Davies, Best-selling science author and renowned theoretical physicist, cosmologist, astrobiologist

• Tamara Davis, leading astrophysicist, specialising in dark energy and dark matter

• David Blair, Ground-breaking researcher in gravitational wave discovery

Venue: Engineers Australia WA Auditorium at 712 Murray Street, West Perth WA

Tue 20 Sep 2022 - 5:30 pm to 8:00 pm

West Australian Museum Wallal Article

Wallal, Western Australia The most ideal place on Earth to confirm Einstein’s theory.

Wallal Downs Station, a remote station 300 kilometres south of Broome on Eighty Mile Beach, was deemed ‘the most ideal place on Earth to view a total eclipse of the Sun and prove Albert Einstein’s Theory of General Relativity.

Read the article and see photos taken in 1922.

Published in 1916, this theory explains that what we perceive as the force of gravity, in fact arises from the curvature of the space-time continuum.

Einstein theorised that, as objects experience gravitational attraction to each other, space-time warps around the objects, causing it to become curved. This warping of space-time can explain how objects, including planets, behave as they move through space.

Wallal Expedition Centennial Talk & Calver Telescope Viewing

Learn about this expedition, what it meant for astronomy and Einstein’s Theory, and the role Perth Observatory played, through a talk from Perth Observatory volunteer Arthur Harvey. Stay late and have a look through our Calver telescope, or book in on a special tour on the days leading up to the talk to get to look through our Calver telescope and get taken back 100 years in astronomical history.

Location: Perth Observatory
Date: Saturday, 24th of September
Time: 7:00 pm (Doors open at: 5:30 pm)