Stargate at the Svábhegyi Observatory! Venus is the brightest in the evening sky
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.
The star of our summer show is the Evening Star, which, although it is approaching the horizon, is at its brightest on this very day! Dazzling at -4.6 magnitude, the planet has dwindled to nearly a quarter-phase, 26% crescent, but its diameter has increased considerably. In addition to Venus, we can also enjoy the approaching conjunction of Mars and Regulus, and the most beautiful clusters and nebulae of the summer Milky Way await us!
Schedule
Let's see what we have in store for this afternoon and evening:
The Stargate opens at 17:00!
17:00-18:30 Daytime Astronomy.
The first hour and a half of this warm summer afternoon will be spent exploring the secrets of our Sun. We will explore the shapes of the sun's surface, and the fountain, flare or bridge-shaped prominences of the solar atmosphere in our special Hydrogen Alpha and Calcium K telescopes. At the Telescope Workshop, the Observation Terrace and the Budapest Dome, the Sun will also be on the agenda!
**18:30-21:30 Venus crescent and Mars-Regulus conjunction: **
At the Observatory terrace, we'll visit the planet **Venus' **massive 26% crescent in daylight. Venus' cloud cover now reveals most of its details, aided by the crescent's illumination in addition to its huge disk diameter. If Venus is ever going to show cloud formations, it will be now! And from 21:00-21:30 we can watch Venus and Regulus, the brightest star in the constellation Leo, conjunct and pair-dance.
Also in the Budapest Dome, from 18:30-19:45, the crescent of **Venus **will be on the agenda, with exciting details from our telescope giant!
17:00-21:00 Interactive programmes:
Before dark, we will have several scientific, interactive and fun astronomy-related activities:
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!
21:30-23:00 - evening stargazing
In the moonless summer sky, we can finally take a plunge into the most beautiful star clusters of the Milky Way!
In the darkening twilight sky, we'll take a look at** the most beautiful double stars of the summer sky. The binary star Izar the Oxbows is extremely close, so it will be a thrilling challenge to see the pair at hundreds of times magnification. Then we'll break open the double binary of Epsilon Lyrae** and admire the orange and blue pair of Albireo, which forms the head of the Swan.
In the rising summer Milky Way, we'll visit the excitingly asymmetrical globular cluster** M12** in the belly of the Snake Pit, and the V-shaped Wild Duck Arrowhead** (M11)** in the constellation of the Shield. We'll also see the most beautiful gas nebulae in Sagittarius, such as the huge Lagoon Nebula (M8) and the graceful-necked Swan Nebula** (M17)**, which forms a bird on the water.
Svábhegyi Observatory of Budapest
"The Svábhegyi Observatory is the largest demonstrational observatory in Budapest also an interactive astronomy experience centre. Our main goal is to bring the beauty of the Universe closer to everyone."
