From Earth to the Universe: a journey through modern astrophysics
Teaching module for senior secondary schools
This series of sessions offers an accessible and progressive exploration of the big questions in astrophysics: from how humanity has developed its view of the heavens over time, to the latest discoveries about the structure and evolution of the universe. The aim is to provide the tools to understand not only ‘what we know’, but also ‘how we know it’, by shedding light on the historical, cultural and scientific nature of our knowledge of the cosmos.
In collaboration with Edwige Pezzulli.
From the fixed heavens to the expanding universe
- Thursday 3 December 2026 at 10:12 - 12:00
A historical journey retracing how our view of the heavens has changed: from the geocentric model to heliocentrism, from the Milky Way to the discovery of the existence of many other galaxies, right up to the idea of a dynamic, expanding universe. A tale of scientific revolutions that have radically transformed our place in the cosmos.
A map of the cosmos: stars, galaxies and beyond
- Thursday 10 December 2026 at 10:00 - 12:00
A voyage through the universe: starting from the Solar System, we will gradually venture further out to explore stars, galaxies, clusters and large-scale cosmic structures. The session offers a conceptual map of the observable universe, helping participants to navigate its scales (of space and time) and its main features.
The modern universe: space-time, black holes, cosmic origins
- Thursday 17 December 2026 at 10:00 - 12:00
An introduction to the fundamental concepts of contemporary astrophysics: general relativity, space-time, black holes. And to finish with, a look at the history of the universe, from the Big Bang to the formation of galaxies, to understand how the cosmos we observe today has evolved.
