Lecture: "The Latest Discoveries in Space That Are Changing Our Lives"

The past year has been momentous for astronomy thanks to many significant events that affected all of us—and it will undoubtedly become historical for this science. For the first time, gravitational-wave activity was recorded. For the first time as well, a satellite approached Pluto and its moons, sending back detailed images of their surfaces. The discovery of a planet around Proxima Centauri set a record that cannot be surpassed, since it is the closest exoplanet to us. In the development of the new space telescope JWST, the final stage has been reached. A prototype of a space laser interferometer has been successfully tested. The International Astronomical Union began officially assigning names to stars. The first dataset from the Gaia satellite was also released. These are only some of the intriguing discoveries and topics in astrophysics for 2016. In 2017, many significant results were also obtained, such as the discovery of planets in the TRAPPIST-1 system, new information on fast radio bursts, and achievements in studying black holes. These topics will be discussed at a scientific lecture.