es2502 — Organisation Release

Public talk: JWST looks into the nursery of the Universe

10 January 2025

On the occasion of the International Day of Women and Girls in Science, The Max Planck Institute for Extraterrestrial Physics (MPE) is organising its annual free event "Women in Astronomy" on Thursday, 6 February 2025 at 19:00 at the ESO Supernova Planetarium & Visitor Centre.

This year, Dr. Hannah Übler, Max Planck Institute for Extraterrestrial Physics, will give a talk about how the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) has given astronomers a window into the nursery of the Universe, allowing them to study the first billion years after the Big Bang with unprecedented detail. Before and after the lecture, the astronomy exhibition at the ESO Supernova will be open, where you will have the opportunity to talk to female scientists and engineers working on various topics in the field of astronomy.

If you would like to attend, tickets are free, but you need to book a seat in advance at this link.

JWST is a collaboration between NASA, the European Space Agency (ESA) and the Canada Space Agency (CSA). It is the successor of the highly successful Hubble Space Telescope. A major area of research with JWST is the search for the first stars, black holes and galaxies. In her presentation Hannah Übler will present some of the most exciting discoveries in this area, as well as unsolved mysteries.

The lecture "Journey into the past: JWST looks into the nursery of the Universe" by Dr. Hannah Übler will take place from 19:00 to 20:00. After the public talk, the exhibitions will remain open to visitors for another hour.

Before the talk, visitors are welcome to visit the Living Universe exhibition or watch a planetarium show. The ESO Supernova will remain open continuously until 21:00 for this event and other visitors.

MPE actively promotes equal opportunities for women and girls in science. The aim is to promote the share of women in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM), where they are still underrepresented. The first MPE “Women in Astronomy” event took place on 11 February 2019 in the ESO Supernova, and featured former ESO astronomer, Dr. Nadine Neumayer (MPIA Heidelberg).

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Max Planck Institute for Extraterrestrial Physics

The Max Planck Institute for Extraterrestrial Physics (MPE) works on various topics in modern astrophysics, using mainly experimental but also theoretical methods. Its name was chosen to reflect its research — the physics of space — but also because of its research methods.

Many observations have to be carried out above the Earth’s dense atmosphere. These are complemented by instruments at ground-based observatories whenever possible. In central workshops, in-house staff build detectors, spectrometers, cameras and telescopes, as well as complete payloads for satellites. The observations are complemented by some experiments in laboratories and theoretical work.

The direct interaction of observers and experimenters under the same roof reinforces cooperation, improves the coordination of activities and often results in the early identification of promising new research directions through the interplay of hypotheses and new observations.