STARMUS: ELF Takes Center Stage at STARMUS Festival 2025
The telescope that will change history stood at the heart of the world’s most important science and art festival: STARMUS. The LIOM project showcased its technological jewel: the ExoLife Finder (ELF) and its prototype, SELF — the most advanced tools ever conceived to search for life on other worlds.
Jill Tarter, astrobiology legend and SETI pioneer, put it clearly:
“Institutions must support ELF. ELF is the most advanced project in the search for life.”
Rafael Rebolo, former Director of the Instituto de Astrofísica de Canarias (IAC) and Chair of the Canary Global Advisory Board, confirmed his ambition that ELF will be the largest telescope ever built to detect biomarkers on exoplanets.
Jeff Kuhn, leading scientist, co-founder of the ELF concept and a core member of Canary Global, explained why ELF represents the boldest frontier of cosmic exploration — and why Canary Global will collaborate fully in its creation.
SELF/ELF is not just science — it’s a vision that unites humanity, technology, and the cosmos to answer one timeless question: Are we alone?
Highlights & Media
ELF at STARMUS — with Jill Tarter and Jim Bell, former president of The Planetary Society, discussing the importance of these projects. Also features a glimpse of the LIOM stand.
Jeff Kuhn: Why ELF? — a dedicated short video that explains why the ELF telescope’s design is different and what makes it capable of detecting exolife.
Jeff Kuhn on Finding Life on Exoplanets — a separate talk about why it’s crucial to search for life on exoplanets and how ELF will make this possible.
Hawking Medal 2025 — Christopher Nolan, Kip Thorne & Garik Israelian on how science, art, and entertainment come together.
About STARMUS
STARMUS was co-founded by astrophysicist Garik Israelian and Dr. Brian May, the legendary guitarist of Queen and a professional astronomer. Their shared vision was to bring together science, music, and art — inspiring people to dream bigger and ask the biggest questions about our place in the universe.
Brian May’s unique path — blending rock music with a PhD in astrophysics — perfectly captures the festival’s spirit: science and creativity belong together. At STARMUS, rock legends and Nobel laureates stand side by side, proving that inspiration knows no boundaries.
Read more at Astronomy.com
More at STARMUS Testimonials | STARMUS La Palma
Key voices at STARMUS 2025 included Brian May, Kip Thorne, Michael Mayor, John Mather, Jane Goodall, Jill Tarter, and Rafael Rebolo — all part of a mission that connects Canary Global’s vision with the idea that science and art together can change how we see the cosmos.
Thank You
Special thanks to the LIOM team, and especially Raquel Conde, for providing photos and videos that brought ELF at STARMUS to life.
