es2518 — Organisation Release
From gas clouds to star systems: How do stars and planets form?
Kosmisches Kino on 12 June
9 May 2025
In this Kosmisches Kino, Dr. Stefan Heigl from the Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität Munich (LMU) takes us on a journey to the cradle of stars. This German-language event will take place on 12 June 2025 at 19:00 in the ESO Supernova. Tickets cost 6.50 Euro each and can be booked online.
The interstellar medium - the matter between the stars in our galaxy - is in constant flux. Diffuse, hot gas cools and condenses into denser regions of molecular gas and dust, known as molecular clouds. Gravity, turbulence, and external influences can cause parts of these clouds to collapse and become even more dense. When the density in certain regions is high enough, star formation begins. This process creates a disc of gas and dust around the young star, in which planets can later form. Over the course of a star's life, the material is released back into the surrounding medium by winds, radiation, and ultimately a supernova explosion, allowing the cycle to begin again.
Observations show that stars primarily form in elongated structures of dense gas - called filaments. There is also evidence that young protostars can accrete mass directly from this gas-rich environment. How does this accretion influence the collapse of the gas? And does the environment play a role in the formation of planets? These and other questions are the topic of the Kosmisches Kino talk with Dr. Stefan Heigl on 12 June 2025.
The event takes place on 12 June at 19:00 in the planetarium of the ESO Supernova and will be held in German. Tickets can be booked online. Since this is a live talk, there will be no translation available. The ESO Supernova will remain open until the start of the event for visitors, who can explore the exhibition at any time or watch a planetarium show beforehand.
More information
What is Kosmisches Kino?
Kosmisches Kino (Cosmic Cinema) takes visitors into the breathtaking depths of space. Researchers from the ORIGINS Cluster of Excellence will accompany you on your journey through the cosmos with selected excerpts from planetarium films and an associated lecture.
Sit back and marvel. Want to know more? Just ask! Kosmisches Kino events take place under the dome of the planetarium. They offer all visitors, no prior knowledge required, an atmospheric insight into the world of research and provide you with new perspectives. At the end of the event, the researchers answer questions from the audience.
The lecture series Kosmisches Kino is a collaboration between ESO and the ORIGINS Cluster of Excellence and presents current research topics. The ORIGINS Excellence Cluster combines astrophysics, particle physics and biophysics to investigate the formation of the universe and the origin of life. The lectures address exciting questions that current research is investigating: Is there a common thread connecting the Big Bang with the origin of life? How do you measure radiation from space and its effect on humans? Where and how do planets and stars form? What is Dark Matter? What are the building blocks of life on Earth and do they exist elsewhere in space? These and many other questions will be addressed over the course of the event series.
Admission to the approximately one-hour-long evening event with planetarium visualisations, a live lecture and open discussion costs 6.50 Euros per person. Events are aimed at people aged 12 years and over.
Links
- Book your tickets for From gas clouds to star systems: How do stars and planets form?
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Contacts
ESO Supernova Planetarium & Besucherzentrum
Garching bei München
Tel: 08932006900
Email: supernova@eso.org
About the Release
| Release No.: | es2518 |
