Night of Science 2025

Current research – presented live by researchers at the Max Planck Institute for Gravitational Physics in Hannover and at Leibniz University Hannover

September 16, 2025

Everyone is invited to discover Leibniz University Hannover and its various locations on 8 November 2025, between 5 p.m. and 11 p.m., and to get involved. Scientists from all faculties will present their research and teaching activities. Researchers at the Max Planck Institute for Gravitational Physics (Albert Einstein Institute) in Hannover and the Institute for Gravitational Physics at Leibniz University Hannover will participate and offer a varied programme.

Where and when?

All events will take place at the institute building at Callinstr. 38, 30167 Hannover. The route is signposted on site, and all locations are accessible without barriers.

All of the events listed below will take place on 8 November 2025. The exact times of the individual events can be found in the list on this page.

All events

17:15 - 18:00 | Talk (in German) | 20 Questions and Answers About Black Holes | Frank Ohme

Artist's impression of two black hole orbiting each other.

suitable for children aged 10 or older

Where do black holes come from? How do we know they exist? How long do they live? And why do black holes never need to go to the hairdresser? This lecture answers these and other questions to help us get to know the perhaps strangest objects in our universe a little better.

Where do black holes come from?

18:15 - 19:00 | Talk (in German) | Our Biggest Ear for the Universe | Gudrun Wanner

Three satellites form a huge interferometric measuring system with laser beams, while gravitational waves emanate from a distant galactic source and propagate through the solar system.

suitable for children aged 10 or older

LISA will be the largest measuring instrument ever built by humankind. From the mid-2030s, the million-kilometer triangle formed by three satellites in space will kisten to the entire Universe using special waves (gravitational waves). But how does it work? What new things will we learn about the Universe, and what preparations are being made for this in Hanover? The answers to these questions will be provided in this talk.

LISA – a million-kilometer ear for the cosmos

18:15 - 21:00 | Participatory Event | The Physics Cabinet

Above the entrance to a red velvet tent, the word “Physik-Kabinett” (Physics Cabinet) is written in LED lights. A sign hanging at the entrance reads “Open.”

suitable for children aged 6 or older

Do you have questions about physics? Can't get that one physics idea out of your head and don't know where to turn? Come to the Physics Cabinet! Here you can secretly – without anyone recognizing you – ask our experts your questions and discuss your ideas with them. This project, which originated from the art exhibition “Why is space-time curved?” in cooperation with the QuantumFrontiers Cluster of Excellence, is visiting the Max Planck Institute for Gravitational Physics for one night.

Our physicists will answer your questions.

19:15 - 20:00 | Talk (in German) | In Search of the Stars’ Quiet Signals | Benjamin Steltner

In the foreground, the black silhouette of a person looking up at the sky, with tree silhouettes on the horizon. In the sky, an artistic representation of a green glowing pulsar.

Gravitational waves are invisible ripples that travel through the fabric of the universe. Some of them, known as continuous gravitational waves, last for a very long time. This talk explores these steady signals coming from spinning neutron stars – the small and massive remnants of exploded stars – and how scientists are learning to “listen” to them. Join us on a journey into the soft hum of the cosmos and discover the groundbreaking methods used to detect these whispers from the stars.

Listening to the stars‘ faint whisper

20:15 - 21:00 | Talk (in English) | Space Lasers for Climate Change Research | Pallavi Bekal

Artistic representation of two satellites interacting with red laser beams as they orbit the earth. In the background, space glows in blue and black.

GRACE-FO is a twin-satellite mission launched in 2018 that measures Earth’s gravity more precisely than ever before. It does that by monitoring the distance between the satellites down to nanometers with a new laser instrument developed at the institute. GRACE-FO and its predecessor provide a 23-year history of Earth’s gravity field, revealing dramatic changes in ice mass and groundwater levels. At the institute, we analyze data from current missions and help develop future climate missions.

Technology transfer: tracking climate change with gravitational-wave science

21:15 - 22:00 | Talk (in English) | Einstein@Home’s Search for Continuous Waves | Brian McGloughlin

A green glowing neutron star surrounded by magnetic field lines against a dark starry background.

The next big gravitational-wave discovery could be that of continuous gravitational waves. A typical search for these waves on a single laptop operating 24/7 would take 2,000 years. The volunteer computing project Einstein@Home makes such computationally intensive searches possible. The project uses your computer’s idle time to search for weak signals from our galaxy. I will explain the immense scale of our latest efforts to detect such signals, with Einstein@Home playing a central role.

How volunteers help astronomers to make the next big discovery.

The Night of Science

The “Nacht, die Wissen schafft” (Night of Science) at Leibniz University Hannover is part of the November of Science. It will take place from November 5 to 23, 2025, and will offer insights into Hannover as a center of higher education and science through numerous events.

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