The greatest story of all time – the universe

Come to the lecture by astrophysicist Professor Harald Lesch as part of the annual conference of the German Astronomical Society in Garching and learn more about the origins of the universe.

• Admission is free.
• For more information, visit the German Astronomical Society’s website.

The Beginning of the Universe

Astronomy deals with the big picture – the very, very big picture. But to do so, it also needs to consider the tiniest particles and their properties and interactions.

At the beginning of the universe, the very largest and the very smallest converge. The laws of nature emerge and, from this point on, exert their influence under completely different conditions. The first stars form, enriching the cosmos with heavy elements. The first galaxies form as dwarfs but merge into large and very large spiral and elliptical galaxies. At the same time, gravity repeatedly pulls matter into black holes. Stellar remnants such as white dwarfs and neutron stars mark the end of a star’s life. And all of this changes the universe. It used to be hot, dense, and homogeneous; today it is cold, empty, and clumped together. It has organized itself.

If we were to rewind everything back to the beginning of it all, everything would unfold quite differently. For it was the deviations from equilibrium – the fluctuations in density and energy at the very beginning—that determined what would come to be. Galaxies, stars, and even planets came into being – perhaps life 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.