What does ZEISS have to do with the moon landing and microchips?

On 22nd November, the Long Night of the Sciences will once again be running 350 events at 65 locations to provide fascinating insights into what Jena has on offer in terms of the variety of science and research. ZEISS is also taking part for the seventh year and invites visitors to get up close and personal with optical technologies and get active themselves. Between 6 p.m. and midnight, the company will be showcasing its products at twelve stations in the cafeteria of the Student Union Thüringen at Carl-Zeiss-Promenade 6, as well as in the "ZEISS Powerdome Center" on the company's own premises.

This year, the 50th anniversary of the first manned Moon landing is a hot topic at ZEISS. On the one hand, visitors have the opportunity to get a photograph of themselves on the moon together with ZEISS astronauts; on the other, the "ZEISS Powerdome Center" allows you to be part of Neil Armstrong's Moon landing. The multimedia show "The Apollo Story - Capcom Go!", that was specially produced for the 50th anniversary of the moon landing, will be shown here using the new ZEISS VELVET LED projectors for all-dome shows. A shuttle bus is available to take anyone interested there. This is where the ZEISS VELVET LED will be demonstrated to the public for this first time. It is the only video projector in the world that provides a completely black background, giving viewers an almost three-dimensional impression that puts them in the middle of dark space scenes. In addition, the technology behind this will also be presented.

At the Semiconductor Technology station, visitors will learn how ZEISS is helping to make microchips smaller, more powerful and more energy-efficient. Proof of this can be found in the evolution of the games console: visitors can put their skills to the test on the Commodore C64 produced way back in 1982 as well as on the new Playstation 4. In doing so, we're bringing the world of semiconductor technology to life in an entertaining way.

The two Vision Care and Medical Technology stations will be dedicated to good, healthy vision. Visitors will find out how to protect their eyes against UV radiation. They will also be able to see how effectively their own glasses counter it. Anyone interested will also find out how eye diseases affect vision and make everyday life more difficult. Using the ZEISS CLARUS 500, visitors can have a look at their ocular fundus.

Our Research & Development experts will be on hand to explain how ZEISS is using artificial intelligence to create top-quality products and how smartphones can help visualize objects in lifelike 3D. Visitors will also gain insights into the world of designing and simulating complex optical systems. All those who are curious can set up simple illumination optics themselves and find out about the interrelationships of optical imaging.

At the Microscopy station, visitors will be able to see environmental samples under ZEISS research microscopes, observe microalgae under a cutting-edge light microscope and try their hand at digital design techniques using ZEISS stereomicroscopes.

What's more, the ZEISS archive will be available so that, among other things, anyone interested will even get the chance to write with quill and ink, just like people did 170 years ago. At the ZEISS Careers stand, you can find out about career and vocational training opportunities at the company before being served up a mocktail by a robot programmed by trainees and students.

The opening event of the Long Night of the Sciences will begin at 5 p.m. in the auditorium on Max-Wien-Platz square. All those curious about the event can find out more about the detailed program online (https://www.lndw-jena.de/), as well as plan their route and find out how to get their hands on tickets.

The Student Union Thüringen cafeteria is open that evening and will be offering food and drinks.

This press release was modified on 19 December 2019. The image has been removed due to expiring license agreements. Otherwise the content remained untouched.