The exhibition you are about to see presents selected achievements of scientists connected with the Astronomical Observatory of the University of Warsaw.
The collected materials document the involvement of its researchers in groundbreaking international projects.

The first section of the exhibition is devoted to the OGLE project (Optical Gravitational Lensing Experiment), a photometric sky survey. It is one of the earliest large-scale explorations of the Universe. Over many years it has provided invaluable data on dark matter, extrasolar planets, and the structure of our Galaxy. Within OGLE, thousands of gravitational microlensing events have been discovered – light bending caused by the gravity of celestial bodies – along with countless new variable stars, making the project one of the most influential in global astrophysics. Thanks to OGLE, a spatial map of the Galaxy was created, and even previously unknown cosmic objects were identified.

Another topic presented in the exhibition is the participation of researchers from the Astronomical Observatory of the University of Warsaw in the international LIGO-Virgo-KAGRA research collaboration. These names refer to detectors – sophisticated instruments that register gravitational waves emitted by cosmic bodies and phenomena. The existence of such waves was already predicted by Albert Einstein in 1916. The detectors are located in Italy, the United States, and Japan. Polish scientists are engaged in data analysis and interpretation of results, allowing us to learn more about how the Cosmos functions. They study the strongest sources of waves – collisions of black holes, neutron stars, and explosive events.

Researchers from the Observatory also employ advanced scientific instruments working in the high-energy domain, such as H.E.S.S., the largest gamma-ray telescope. However, many of the most modern telescopes are still in the project phase. In the coming years, scientists will be able to use data from numerous ground-based observatories and space missions currently under construction. The next section of the exhibition is devoted precisely to these instruments and to the discoveries made possible by new technologies for observing the Cosmos.

The final project presented is the Gaia unmanned space mission. The Observatory’s team participates in groundbreaking research linked to this satellite. For 11 years, Gaia collected data, observing the sky with two telescopes. As a result, a three-dimensional map of the Galaxy was produced. Scientists are still analyzing the astrometric measurements gathered, concerning distances between cosmic objects, as well as photometric data that reveal the properties of particular bodies. Thanks to this mission, new extrasolar planets, binary stars, and unknown black holes have been identified, along with interpretations of sources of sudden brightening in the sky.

At the bottom of the exhibition boards, you will find images of constellations taken from a 17th-century work by the Polish astronomer Johannes Hevelius. Their selection is no coincidence – they depict those regions of the Cosmos that relate to the topic discussed on each panel.

We hope that this exhibition will become for you an inspiring journey through the greatest successes of Polish astronomers and an encouragement to continue exploring the mysteries of the Universe.

---

RESEARCH TEAM PREPARING THE EXHIBITION
Astronomical Observatory, University of Warsaw
Prof. Tomasz Bulik
Dr. Mariusz Gromadzki
Prof. Szymon Kozłowski – author of the OGLE mosaic graphic
MSc Mateusz Mróz
Dr. Przemysław Mróz
Dr. Paweł Pietrukowicz, Prof. UW
Dr. Radosław Poleski, Prof. UW
Dr. Milena Ratajczak
Dr. Dorota Rosińska-Gondek, Prof. UW
Prof. Andrzej Udalski
Dr. Krzysztof Ulaczyk – author of telescope night photos
Dr. Dorota Skowron, Prof. UW
Dr. Jan Skowron – author of several graphics used in the exhibition
Prof. Igor Soszyński
Prof. Łukasz Wyrzykowski

CURATORIAL TEAM
University of Warsaw Centre for Cooperation and Dialogue
Dr. Aleksandra Jakóbczyk-Gola – curator
Michał Krawczyk – exhibition graphics
Joanna Rahman (Atilla Media) – exhibition graphics
Kaja Nosal (ONTO Studio) – graphic design
Krzysztof Smosarski – project coordination