Perseids at the observatory on 12.08.2023

To mark Science Year 2023 and the special occasion of the maximum of the Perseids, the evening started promptly at 8 p.m. with a one-hour lecture by Dr. Rolf-Dieter Schadt on the topic of "Our Solar System".
The lectures covered the structure of our solar system, its planets, their structure and special properties and, of course, the so-called "Laurentius tears", as the Perseids are also popularly known. The major meteor streams of the year were also discussed.
Finally, with the involvement of the audience, the scale size and distance between the earth and the sun was vividly demonstrated with the help of a FIFA soccer ball with a diameter of 220 mm and a pinhead with a diameter of 2 mm. The space of the lecture hall with a length of 20 meters actually turned out to be 4 meters too short.

The observatory was opened shortly after 9 pm. Contrary to the weather forecast, the weather gods were kind to us. There were always large gaps in the clouds, which allowed us a view of the night sky, albeit not an ideal one.
Quite a few shooting stars flitted across the sky throughout the evening. There was also the odd bolide among them. May your personal wishes come true.
We were also able to present a view of the globular star cluster M13 and the planetary nebula M57 through our telescope. A little later, we were also able to observe the planet Saturn, which is in opposition to the sun at the end of the month.

At around 1:30 a.m. we were able to end what we considered to be a successful evening, a little tired and exhausted ourselves. Many thanks to the numerous interested visitors to the evening, including many families.