Conferences, activities and encounters around galaxies: IAP’s Night of Astronomy

On Saturday, June 20, 2026, from 6 p.m. to 2 a.m., the Paris Institute of Astrophysics (IAP) will host its sixth “Night of Astronomy.” The event’s public-facing theme centers on galaxies, in connection with the centennial celebration of Edwin Hubble’s discovery.

« Our Milky Way and Beyond: A Century of Galaxy Exploration. »

A hundred years ago, Edwin Hubble revealed that the Andromeda Nebula was, in fact, a galaxy, opening a new era in our understanding of the Universe. Since then, we have uncovered the richness and diversity of these “island universes,” their interactions, and their role in the cosmic story.

Today, modern telescopes, such as the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) or the forthcoming Extremely Large Telescope (ELT), born of remarkable technological feats, let us reach further back in time than ever before, to the very first galaxies formed just a few hundred million years after the Big Bang. To mark the centenary of this foundational discovery, we invite you to journey through a century of cosmic exploration and delve into the latest advances reshaping our view of the Universe. A series of lectures will explore what we know about galaxies, and the questions we ask—from the nearby to the distant Universe—starting with the Milky Way, the Local Group, and extending to the primordial galaxies.

This new "Night of Astronomy" at the Institute of Astrophysics of Paris will bring together young researchers who are passionate about driving contemporary science forward. The event’s centerpiece is a marathon of talks held in the grand amphitheatre of the laboratory (120 seats), with a live relay to a secondary room (40 seats). This marathon will be hosted by Mathieu Grousson (PhD in physics and science journalist), alongside cartoonists from the Café des sciences.

Thanks to the live broadcast of the evening on YouTube and its “chat,” everyone will be able to engage with the speakers here in the institute or online, and satisfy their curiosity about the Universe and how scientists analyze and understand it. Animations will be offered by young researchers of the institute, who can be questioned about their work and their career paths around the posters on display. A food truck will be available in the courtyard to grab a bite.

Read the full program on the Paris Institute of Astrophysics website