All seats were taken in lecture hall I of the University's Main Building, and the audience was generous with its appreciation. When University Rector Dr. Michael Hoch posed the question of whether the event should have a sequel, the audience response was deafening. Long, loud applause was the best affirmation he could have hoped for.
That same public had just enjoyed entertaining lectures into the many facets of the works of famous Bonn astronomer Friedrich Wilhelm August Argelander. Dr. Thomas Becker, archivist at the University of Bonn, spoke first of Argelander's life and of what is likely his grandest work—the so-called “Bonner Durchmusterung.” That tome represents years of work carried out between 1852 and 1859 by the astronomer charting the northern nighttime skies, and encompasses 48 charts capturing an incredible 324,198 stars.
Work still influential event today
While Argelander was not the first to attempt to map the stars in the sky, his were probably the most detailed charts of his age, explained Dr. Karl Menten of the Max Planck Institute for Radio Astronomy. Even today, Menten opined, cartography remains an import task for astronomy, albeit with much more precise tools than Argelander had access to. Modern research in fact often focuses on the different wavelengths of light radiated by stars, which provide highly suggestive information about their sources.
Dr. Simon Stellmer of the Physikalisches Institut at the University of Bonn used his fascinating talk to explain how certain stars blink at certain wavelength ranges and how he and his colleagues then derive conclusions from that data. He also surprised the audience with the disclosure that one of the most precise clocks in the world is coordinated in Bonn.
A completely different approach
An artistic play on the topic came from student members of the University of Bonn's litterarium society, under the direction of Anja Stadler. Presenting a piece written specifically for the event, the group offered a theatrical approach to Argelander, opening up completely new perspectives through thespian talent. The event was rounded out by a discussion panel with the evening’s various speakers as well as Dr. Norbert Langer of the Argelander Institute for Astronomy at the University of Bonn. The public ultimately paid its thanks not just through applause, but also donations to Bonn’s Astroclub and the astronomy and physics department who had presented their work.
The next event in the “An Invitation from the University of Excellence Bonn” series will come on December 6, 2023 on the topic of “Extreme Weather.”
