Of stars and peoples

The Fondation Maison des Sciences de l'Homme invites you to encounter the stars during the next Nuit Blanche 2026 through a dialogue between the humanities, social sciences and astronomy. Knowledge of philosophy, the history of science and astrophysics, combined with poetry, will highlight the central place that stars occupy in people's lives. Researchers and storytellers will take the public on a journey from cultural representations to the Hubble telescope and the explorations of modern navigators.

Whether you are a novice or an expert on constellations, everyone will come away from this evening with a better understanding of these stellar objects that have illuminated humanity since the beginning of time.

19h – "La marche à l’étoile", a discussion accompanied by screenings of excerpts from the documentary series

Armed with a telescope and a camera, Stephen Rater, a travelling astronomer, and Boris Wilmart, a filmmaker, have travelled the world on foot. Together, they meet local people to discuss their views of the cosmos and share celestial observations, from Kyrgyzstan to South America, from the Ardèche Mountains to the Pic du Midi de la France.

19h55 – At the School of the Sky: Symbols and Powers of the Stars for Ancient People

Victor Grysembergh, a historian of the philosophy and sciences of antiquity (Mesopotamia, Greece and Ancient Rome), played a part in the rediscovery of fragments of the star catalogue compiled by the astronomer Hipparchus. He will speak on religious and philosophical questions among the Greeks and Romans.

Sylvie Nony is a researcher in the history and philosophy of science from antiquity to the 16th century. Drawing on an Arabic treatise on natural philosophy entitled ‘Why the stars are visible at night and invisible by day’, this talk will explore theories of light diffusion. It will also place this knowledge within the history of its dissemination, particularly through Alhazen’s legacy in the Latin world.

20h50 – Performance: "A Sky Fantasy" - First Part

By Karine Mazel, storyteller, and Anaël Noury, musician. This first part of the performance will focus on tales from West Africa, Korea, and the Indigenous peoples of North America.

21h20-21h40 – Intermission

21h40  – When stars equip the world

François Bellec, Rear Admiral and former director of the Musée de la Marine, and maritime historian, will discuss the importance of astronomy in technical innovations, advances in navigation and major discoveries.

Pauline Zarrouk, an astrophysicist, will explain why and how galaxies are mapped today.

22h30 – Performance: "A Sky Fantasy"  - Second part

Using maps depicting the planets and stars, Karine Mazel improvises a story with the audience that recounts the origin of an imaginary constellation.