Lecture by Daniela Leitner at the Archenhold Observatory Berlin
Light – from the galactic to the earthly
On April 24, 2018, as part of the interdisciplinary event series “Gather around Licht” on the topic of “Light – from the galactic to the terrestrial”, I was able to give a lecture at the Archenhold Observatory in Berlin – the very place where Albert Einstein once gave his first public lecture on the theory of relativity in Berlin on June 2, 1915. My topic was light in the universe – and how it learned to walk (see also When the light learned to walk/Als das Licht laufen lernte). As the series of lectures that evening ran from the galactic to the earthly, I was allowed to start with my lecture – and it was a lot of fun! This was mainly thanks to Dr. Felix Lühning, the director of the Archenhold Observatory, the moderator Simon Hauser and the entire team of light creators and light enthusiasts from “Gather around Light”. They accompanied the speakers and guests through the evening in such a pleasant and sympathetic manner – including a tour of the observatory and a look through their telescopes – that it was a real pleasure to be able to take part. Thank you for letting me be there!
Eindrücke der Veranstaltung
Turn off the light!
I was particularly touched by the double lecture by Dr. Sibylle Schroer, scientific coordinator of the Loss of the Night project, and lighting designer Uwe Knappschneider on the subject of “Artificial light and its effects on the environment”. The lecture is definitely worth seeing! Light pollution has an unexpectedly strong impact on nocturnal wildlife and our health. The good news is that everyone can do something to prevent night from becoming day.
Northern lights, coronae, sky colors
Wolfgang Spies presented beautiful images of light on our planet in his lecture “Fantastic light phenomena in the atmosphere”. The light technician, physicist and amateur astronomer regularly travels to the most remote places on earth to capture the very special side of light with his camera.