Stargate at the Svábhegyi Observatory! Early summer lowlands and fireflies!
Did you hear that? 'Stargate' opens in the Svábhegyi Observatory!!!!
Always wondered about the stars and the mysteries of the Universe? Svábhegy Observatory will open the door to the infinite curiosity with a new series of events full of endless wonders for everyone! At these pre-announced Saturdays, all the observatory's astronomical program sites are free to explore at your own pace. Families with the curious little stargazers are welcome from the afternoon, with a full range of interactive family activities, while everybody else (who can stay up late :)) can join us any time and stay until 11:00 PM.
If you want to reserve your spot, you can buy your tickets in advance (we recommend it!) however these days you can redeem your tickets on the spot and dive right in the joy of observing.
Schedule
Let's see what we have in store for this afternoon and evening:
17:00-18:30 Daytime Astronomy:
The Stargate opens at 17:00!
17:00 - 5:00 pm - Early arrivals can even catch a glimpse of the setting sun with our solar telescopes set up at the Telescope Workshop!
On the Observation Terrace of our research building, you can observe the Sun's prominences with an uninterrupted panorama.
And in our Budapest dome, you can use our largest hydrogen-alpha telescope to view the finest details of the solar atmosphere.
18:30-21:00 Venus is illuminated:
The slowly dwindling crescent of Venus, currently at 42%, will be a very special sight in our telescopes. The polar caps of the planet's clouds, the darkening at the light-shadow boundary, the brightly lit peripheral arc, and the subtle cloud formations all await us.
Venus will be the main focus of our telescopes set up at the Observatory and Observation Terrace, and even in the Budapest Dome until sunset.
17:00-21:30 Interactive activities:
Before dusk, we will have a number of scientific, interactive and entertaining programmes closely related to astronomy:
On the Space-Time Trampoline, we will model the movement of planets and stars with the help of speeding marbles.
Meteorite Investigations: we'll be looking into our microscopes to see the rainbow-coloured crystals of meteorites with our own eyes. You can also get your own hands on objects from billions of years of space.
Our Spectrum Zone takes us into a colourful world of light and optical experiments, and shows us exciting things like black flames!
Smell the scents of the planets of the solar system by smelling the **'space perfumes' in the flasks of a planet-sniffing lab! **A unique experience, we guarantee it! : )
As evening falls, the starry sky awaits!
22:00-23:00 - evening stargazing
At the Telescope Workshop, the Observatory and the Budapest Dome, we will take a look at the most beautiful binaries and star clusters of the early morning sky. The famous double star Mizar-Alcor on the pole of the Dome of the Spindle hides other stars. And Albireo, which forms the head of the Swan, will impress us with its brilliant orange and blue stars.
One of the most beautiful and brightest summer arrow clusters, the Summer Beehive (IC 4665), lies in the constellation of the Serpent Constellation, waiting with its bluish stars. And the stars of the neighbouring cluster of Hook's Captain (NGC 6633) form the shape of a scorpion before our eyes.
We also get to know other celestial heavyweights such as the M3 globular cluster of the constellation Hunting Nebulae and the M13 globular cluster of the constellation Hercules. And the Ring Nebula (M57) in the constellation Lant is the ejected gas shell of its dead star, which expands around it like a magnificent cosmic smoke ring.
And last but not least, as dusk falls, the stars of Earth await you in the garden, along with the greenish fireflies that flicker to the rhythm!