Opening of the main exhibition of the Astrotop_X project

Dear colleagues,

we would like to invite you to tomorrow's opening of the main exhibition of the Astrotop_X project, which combines astronomy, art, ecology, new media and botany, and is part of the official GO! 2025 programme of the European Capital of Culture Nova Gorica - Gorizia, and involves also researchers from our university, where the idea for the project originated. The opening will take place on Tuesday, 5 November 2024, at 19.00 in the Xcentre in Nova Gorica, and will include an interesting discussion with the project team and stargazing.

At the well-attended event on July, 12th this year at the Russian Cave in the Karst, we were only just beginning to understand the stricken, scorched but rebellious ecosystem there, and its-our-lust for exoplanet travel. Astrotop_X is now presenting a capsule in the main exhibition, the purpose of which is to enable the Karst vegetation to autonomously search for another home among the stars. The capsule will then travel in the xMobil art and science laboratory, a solar-powered caravan which, in this project, forms part of the closed-circuit system typical of spacecraft. The capsule will thus be inhabited by various other affected ecosystems, while the telescopes will continue to search for a possible Planet B - which, of course, will always be too far away for humans to actually go there. But maybe plants will at least make it one day? More about Astrotop_X in the attachment.

You are very welcome to join us.

pETER Purg and Andreja Gomboc