A lucky fella

 tl;dr - David Cont, who could very well be called a founding member of our astronomy group, is a lucky fellow. Last August he enjoyed a two-week observational stay at the monumental VLT observatory in Chile. 


In 2008 the astronomy group of our school saw the light of the day. Actually it wasn't the light of the day, it was star light. And it wasn't any star, it was CY Aquarii, our up to the present favourite star in the entire universe (though there's a tight race between him and the sun going on). In a painstakingly laborious project we used the constant and remarkably short period of its brightness changes to derive the speed of light in vacuum, something Ole Römer had done about 300 years earlier.

Back then (in 2008, not 300 years ago) David was one of the most dedicated team members and would stay one of the pillars of our group for the years to come. However, all good things come to an end and when David passed his final exam in 2010 the time to say farewell had come. 

David remained true to science and studied physics in Trento and Munich. After a short detour into the world of finance, working in the rating department of a bank, in 2019 he decided to further deepen his bond with astronomy and started his PhD study in Göttingen, Germany. His task was now to find out about the physical and chemical properties of exoplanet atmospheres using spectroscopy. 

When in 2022 the principal investigator of his team was looking for someone to travel to Chile to collect new data, David did not hesitate. Being sent off to one of the worlds most remote and advanced observatories is a once in a lifetime opportunity. And some of his luck would soon trickle down on us!

When David proudly announced the upcoming trip to me I convinced him to let us share in his adventure - at least virtually. We arranged for a video call and on the 7 August 2022 we had the broad grin (and the two tired eyes) of the lucky fella on our screens. For more than one and a half hours David explained, chattered, gossiped, showed photos, charts and data points - it was pure fun! 


Screenshot of our video call. David sits first raw, second, I'm the bald guy.

The domes of the four 8m-telescopes. The laser beam is used to shoot at aliens. 😉

VLT at dusk. Only professional astronomers are allowed here after sunset.

One of the 8m-telescopes David used for his work.


David is not the only former member of our astronomy group who, after his high school years, took his chances with the study of physics, there is Julian, Renè, Ira, Isak, Vera, Dominik, Maximilian ... Up to now no complaints from their side (not even to be heard through the grapevine) which honestly does not make me wonder. It is indeed a rewarding endeavor to learn about the fundamental principles our world is based on and - at least that's true for David - making use of the world's most sophisticated tools and instruments.

So ... why not choose physics? 🥰


Christof Wiedemair




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