Conference: Luca Sciarini

OFXB's 31st anniversary celebration - Conference: Luca Sciarini - "From the path of planets to the edges of the cosmos - scales of time and distance in the universe"

Luca Sciarini is a PhD candidate in the Department of Astronomy at the University of Geneva. He studies the evolution of massive binary and triple star systems using detailed stellar evolution models. Luca Sciarini is the 2025 recipient of the Plantamour-Prévost Prize from the University of Geneva. This prize has been awarded annually since 1910 by the Faculty of Science to the author of an outstanding scientific paper, traditionally in astronomy, who graduated from the Faculty.

From the path of planets to the edges of the cosmos - scales of time and distance in the universe
The Universe is vast - but just how vast? The distances separating us from the Sun, the other planets, and then the other stars in our galaxy and beyond are measured in billions, trillions, and quadrillions of kilometers. It is not easy to grasp the immensity of such numbers. The “Path of the Planets” makes it possible to visualize the distances between the Sun and the different planets using a simple scale: 1 kilometer of walking corresponds to 1 billion kilometers in the Solar System. Starting from this scale, well known to hikers in Saint-Luc, we will explore and better understand the staggering distance scales of the Universe.We will journey from the Solar System to galaxy clusters and large-scale structures. This journey through space is also a journey through time, as different distance scales correspond to equally staggering timescales.