How did our Sun, Earth, and many other planets form? The evolution of star systems is shaped not only by physical forces but is also accompanied by chemical processes. The first molecular building blocks form within the ice of dark clouds of dust and gas and evolve alongside the growing stars and planets.
How complex can these molecules become, and can we already find the first building blocks of life, as we know it on Earth, in space? At this Cafe & Kosmos evening, Birgitta Müller from the Max Planck Institute for Extraterrestrial Physics and the University Observatory of Munich will explain how we can observe the formation of star systems and use spectrometry to study their chemical evolution.