Professor Harald Lesch | © Gerald von Foris, München
Lecture by astrophysicist Professor Harald Lesch at the annual conference of the German Astronomical Society in Garching:
Astronomy deals with the big picture. To do so, however, it also needs to know about the tiniest particles, their properties and how they interact.
At the beginning of the universe, the very largest converged with the very smallest. From this point on, the laws of nature emerged and exerted their influence under completely different conditions. The first stars formed, enriching the cosmos with heavy elements. The first galaxies formed as dwarfs but merged into large and very large spiral and elliptical galaxies. At the same time, gravity continually drew matter into black holes. Stellar remnants such as white dwarfs and neutron stars marked the end of a star’s life. And all this changed the universe. What was once hot, dense and homogeneous has now become cold, empty and clumped together. It has organized itself.
If everything were rewound all the way back to the beginning of everything, it would all unfold very differently. For it was the deviations from equilibrium—the fluctuations in density and energy at the very outset—that determined what would become of it all. Galaxies, stars and even planets came into being. Maybe life emerged in many places and—in very few—even life with consciousness?
And this life loves to hear stories, especially the greatest story of all time.
Admission is free. For more information, please visit the website of the German Astronomical Society.