Monthly Lectures (in German)
Monthly Lectures (in German)
Also online via zoom (see end of page)
February 19, 2025
Dr.-Ing. Christian Gritzner Group Manager Solar System Missions Deutsches Zentrum für Luft- und Raumfahrt (DLR)
Impacts by asteroids and comets - danger for the earth
(Lecture in German language)
© ESA - ScienceOffice.org
Impacts of asteroids and comets on planetary surfaces are normal processes in our solar system. While dust particles entering the Earth's atmosphere light up as shooting stars and burn up, larger objects can reach the ground and cause destruction on a local to global scale, as evidenced by numerous impact craters. Today, astronomy and space technology allow us to recognize these dangers at an early stage and take defensive measures. This lecture will give a vivid account of this.
March 19, 2025
Dr. Jürgen Schmoll Senior Optical Engineer Centre for Advanced Instrumentation (CfAI), Durham University
From Hoher List to ELT
(Lecture in German language)
In addition to the research itself, the Hoher List Observatory was of great benefit in the training of astronomy students. In his lecture, the speaker describes how he heard about this observatory as a teenager, then worked there as a student and how the Hoher List became the basis for his later career. His profession took him to large observatories as a developer of astronomical instruments and ultimately to the Extremely Large Telescope (ELT) of the European Southern Observatory, which is currently under construction.
© Schmoll
April 16, 2025
Prof. Dr. Karl Mannheim Chair of Astronomy and Astrophysics Julius-Maximilians-Universität Würzburg
Plasma in the universe (Lecture in German language)
© SARAO, Heywood et. a. (2022) / J.C. Munoz-Mateos
In the universe, the positively charged atomic nuclei and negatively charged electrons usually exist separately from each other. We refer to this 'fourth state of matter' as plasma. Plasmas are also used technically, e.g. in medicine, for rocket propulsion, fusion reactors, as a catalyst in chemistry or for processing materials. The physical properties of plasmas are very complex and can cause astonishing phenomena. These include radiation eruptions from the sun, space weather, cosmic radiation or exotic objects such as pulsars or active galactic nuclei with their black holes. Due to the magnetic fields in plasmas, they are best-observed using radio and gamma-ray astronomy methods. Improved observation possibilities herald a new era for plasma astrophysics.
May 21, 2025
Prof. Dr. Matthias Steinmetz Scientific Director Leibniz Institute for Astrophysics Potsdam (AIP)
The construction of the Extremely Large Telescope, ELT
(Lecture in German language)
© Matthias Steinmetz
The Extremely Large Telescope (ELT) of the European Southern Observatory ESO is currently under construction on Cerro Armazones in the Atacama Desert, northern Chile. With its 39-metre primary mirror, the ELT will not only be the first of the next generation of telescopes in the 30-50 metre class, but also the largest and most powerful. Construction of the telescope is now well advanced and first light is expected in 2028. The lecture reports on the motivation for the construction of such a modern technological milestone, its scientific possibilities, the technological challenges to be overcome and the instrumental equipment currently planned. There will also be current pictures of the construction site on the Armazones.
June 18, 2025
Dr. Thomas Uhlig Project Manager LUNA Deutsches Zentrum für Luft- und Raumfahrt (DLR)
Via Cologne to the Moon: the LUNA Analogue Facility
(Lecture in German language)
© DLR / ESA
In space travel, the moon is once again the centre of attention. The current planning of the ARTEMIS programme envisages a first landing as early as 2026 - a very ambitious schedule. Europe will make a significant contribution this time and secured opportunities to fly on board. The lecture presents the activities in Cologne and Oberpfaffenhofen, where the LUNA Analogue Facility and the Human Exploration Control Center are two central facilities 'on the way to the moon'.
July 16, 2025
Dr. Anke Pagels-Kerp Member of the Executive Board Deutsches Zentrum für Luft- und Raumfahrt (DLR)
Idefix on the way to the Mars system
(Lecture in German language)
© DLR / ESA
The Mars moon 'Phobos'! A captured asteroid or the result of a collision? The origin is still the subject of speculation, and so far, Mars itself has been more exciting than its two companions Phobos and Deimos (Fear & Loathing). This will change next year, when the Japanese MMX (Martian Moon Explorer) mission sets off for the moons of Mars not only to drop off a rover, but also to take soil samples and bring them back to Earth. Idefix is the name of the small rover, which was developed and built by DLR together with the French CNES. Idefix? Small, fast and always a good idea! The name fits. The rover was built in just two and a half years and is now waiting to be launched in Japan. It's not unusual for a project like this not to go according to plan. So why did we manage it anyway?
August 20, 2025
Prof. Dr. Susanne Hüttemeister Director of the Bochum Planetarium
Daniel Fischer Astronomer, non-fiction author and science journalist
Asteroids as sources of raw materials?
(Lecture in German language)
© NASA
The solar system with the Earth, all the planets and millions of asteroids formed a good 4.5 billion years ago from a common disc of dust and gas. It is therefore obvious to assume - and has already been proven - that valuable raw materials such as ores and precious metals, as well as water in the form of ice, can also be found on these celestial bodies. However, can we reach them there? Are there small bodies in the solar system that are close enough to Earth to make 'asteroid mining' a reasonable or even economically viable endeavour? Alternatively, should we concentrate on the more distant objects orbiting between Mars and A number of companies that proposed such projects years ago have disappeared again. However, there are new start-ups that are making concrete attempts again and want to do better. Currently it is still a difficult task to bring just a few grams of material from asteroids back to Earth for scientific study. The speakers will look at the background and the current state of affairs and assess how developments could possibly continue in the future.Jupiter? A number of companies that proposed such projects years ago have disappeared again. However, there are new start-ups that are making concrete attempts again and want to do better. Currently it is still a difficult task to bring just a few grams of material from asteroids back to Earth for scientific study. The speakers will look at the background and the current state of affairs and assess how developments could possibly continue in the future.
September 17, 2025
Hermann-Michael Hahn Graduate physicist & science journalist, Cologne
What would the world be without astronomy?
© Camile Flammarion, L' Atmosphere: Mètéorologie Populaire. Paris 1888
Without a clear view of the stars, our world would look very different. The early advanced civilisations would hardly have come into being without structured calendar knowledge and philosophy and religions would not have received any transcendental impulses, which in turn have inspired art and culture. So while early astronomy awakened our longing for the heavens, thanks to modern astronomy we now know that we are made of star matter and thus in a way already carry the heavens within us.
October 15, 2025
Prof. Dr. Stefanie Walch-Gassner I. Institute of Physics at the University of Cologne
Heartbeat of the Milky Way – The formation of new stars and planetary systems
(Lecture in German language)
© ESO-A Garufi et al
Our cosmic neighbourhood is characterised by countless stars that form in the depths of space. What exactly are these bright celestial bodies made of and how are the planetary systems that surround them formed? In this lecture, we will embark on a journey through the birth of stars and explore the complex processes that lead to the formation of new planetary systems. We will learn that star formation takes place in gigantic clouds of gas and dust, where gravitational forces and electromagnetic radiation play a key role. We will look at the collapse phase up to the birth of a luminous star and explore the formation of planets and their arrangement in a variety of planetary systems. Through state-of-the-art astronomical observations and simulations, scientists have gained significant insights into these processes. I will present some of the latest discoveries and ground-breaking research that deepen our understanding of stars and planetary systems.
November 19, 2025
Prof. Dr. Uli Klein Argelander Institute for Astronomy, University of Bonn Astronomical Association Vulkaneifel am Hohen List e.V.
What would the world be without astronomy?
(Lecture in German language)
The adjacent image shows a so-called data cube of a galaxy, measured in the 21-cm line of interstellar neutral hydrogen (HI). This HI distribution can be seen in the form of contour lines at different frequencies (i.e. speeds), whereby the rotation of the galaxy can be 'read off'.
Astronomical spectroscopy is the most important tool for investigating the complex physical (and chemical) processes in space. Spectroscopy is used to measure and understand the properties of nearby stars and the kinematics of interstellar gas and therefore entire galaxies, even at very great distances. The velocities of galaxies in galaxy clusters and ultimately the expansion of the universe are measured on large scales. The lecture introduces the spectroscopic technique in various astronomical wavelength ranges in an easily understandable way and shows numerous examples.
