As part of the CIE Project “Understanding Science – Understanding Light”, the keynote lectures from the CIE 2025 Scientific Conference (held from 7–9 July 2025 in Vienna) are being made publicly available—with German subtitles.
The German subtitles support the project’s aim to engage a broad audience in Vienna, Austria, making scientific topics around light more accessible to the local population.
Watch the first keynote lecture on our Vimeo channel HERE.
This recording also includes the opening ceremony of the CIE 2025 Scientific Conference—your chance to (re)experience how the event began!
About the Speaker: Dr. Dietmar Hager is accomplished Austrian astrophotographer and a specialist in trauma and hand surgery. He leads international training courses and combines scientific precision with artistic vision in his astrophotography, offering an engaging and thoughtful perspective on the night sky.
Talk Abstract: Light pollution—the excessive or misdirected use of artificial light—has affected the world in many ways: raising energy costs, disturbing ecosystems and animal behaviour, and harming human health by disrupting sleep and increasing disease risk. Culturally, it distanced us from the night sky, diminishing centuries of stargazing traditions and hindering astronomical discovery. In this keynote, Dr. Hager explored these impacts and highlighted interdisciplinary solutions—from technological innovation to policy reform—that support a more balanced coexistence between artificial light and natural darkness.
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The recording and German subtitles were made possible with the support of the Wirtschaftsagentur Wien (Vienna Business Agency) – a fund of the City of Vienna.