Cosmic Awakening - Stars and Galaxies End the Dark Age of the Universe

This topic will captivate, inspire, and thrill you – for it tells the story of one of the greatest wonders of the universe. Lecture by Dr. Manfred Sammet. After the Big Bang, the universe is initially a lightless, dark, and cold place. Although the cosmic background radiation, as the fingerprint of the Big Bang, permeates the cosmos, it quickly fades. The Dark Age begins – a phase of silence and darkness that lasts for about 100 million years. Then new light emerges: massive stars form, enormous black holes appear, and powerful quasars come into play. Their light breaks through the darkness – the cosmos awakens. A unique witness to this dark epoch is the cosmic echo of hydrogen that fills the universe. This signal shows us when the first stars and black holes form and how they end the Dark Age. With them, the universe becomes transparent again – light begins to spread, and today we can look deep into this distant past. Experience how the cosmic awakening transforms the universe. Follow the moment when the light of the first stars ends the Dark Age. Discover how simple hydrogen gives rise to stars and galaxies – and thus the foundation for everything we know. Trace the origins of the elements: from the iron in our blood to the platinum in your car's catalyst to the gold in our teeth. This topic will captivate, inspire, and thrill you – for it tells the story of one of the greatest wonders of the universe.