A voyage across the Universe with Nobel Laureates and Astronauts
Since the dawn of civilization, humans have pondered the celestial vault, the workings of the Universe, and the origin of the planet Earth. In search of answers to these questions, some of the brightest minds throughout history have focused their attention on observing stars and planets. The pursuit of knowledge accelerated and reached farther away with the invention of the optical telescope in Europe four centuries ago, particularly with Galileo's idea of using it to explore the sky. Technological advancements in the 20th century have led to the detection of photons across the electromagnetic spectrum, from radio waves to gamma rays and other forms of radiation, including charged particles (cosmic rays), neutrinos, and in addition gravitational waves. These messengers have sparked a revolution in astrophysics and cosmology, advancing the understanding of the Universe and technological progress. They have required, due to their elusiveness, large observatories located in diverse geographical locations such as high mountains, deep underground, beneath the oceans, under polar ice caps, and in space. This has culminated in the development of multi-messenger and multi-disciplinary astrophysics. This journey is a saga of unprecedented technological achievements and an extraordinary tale of progress in our understanding of the Universe. These achievements have had a massive and positive impact on society, influencing fields such as health, food, the environment, communication, data processing, remote control and monitoring, and electronics. Unfortunately, there is inadequate awareness of the impact that astrophysics has had on society, and therefore, it is vitally important for top scientists to engage in communication with citizens and policymakers.
STELLAR, an event open to citizens, policymakers, and scientists attending the ICRC 2025, is organized from July 19th afternoon to 20th early morning (incidentally the date of the Moon landing for Europe) at the CERN Science gateway. The event will feature talks and presentations from numerous Nobel Laureates, Profs. Sam Ting, Takaaki Kajita, Michel Mayor, and Barry Barish. They will discuss research on some of the most fundamental questions in physics, including Astroparticle, Nuclear, Black-holes and exoplanets. The President of IUPAP will highlight the role of physics in societal development. Leading astronauts from Europe and beyond will also be on-site to share their experiences regarding the excitement and challenges of working in space and future opportunities. The presentations will be at a popular level and easily understandable by the general public. There will be ample opportunities for questions from participants and the media. The primary goal of this event is to raise awareness of significant scientific discoveries, their impact on society, and the future possibilities for both the general public and policymakers.
