Public evening lectures at the Zweibrücken campus of the University of Applied Sciences Kaiserslautern/Zweibrücken
The events are held in German.
Wednesday, 05.06.2024, 19:00 Audimax
Jasmin Gratz
The Nebra Sky Disk - Astronomy of the Bronze Age
The Nebra Sky Disk is regarded as the archaeological find of the century. It is the oldest known realistic depiction of the (night) sky and has fundamentally revolutionized our view of Central European Bronze Age culture. It was found in an area that archaeologists had previously assumed was inhabited by primitive peoples in the Bronze Age, which was attributed in particular to the lack of writing. The discovery of the Sky Disc by grave robbers led to an extensive archaeometric study of the bronze disc.
The Sky Disc initially presented archaeologists with many puzzles about its origin, age and significance. The production of the Sky Disc is divided into five phases, which, among other things, suggests its use as a calendar and sheds new light on Bronze Age astronomy.
Today, the Sky Disc is housed in the Landesmuseum Halle and is the centerpiece of the exhibition.
Jasmin Gratz completed her studies in May 2023 with the first state examination at Saarland University as a teacher of mathematics and physics. Since then, she has been completing her traineeship as a teacher for secondary level I and secondary level II in both subjects in Saarland. In her final thesis, Ms. Gratz dealt with the Nebra Sky Disk and its applications for physics lessons.
Wednesday, 24.04.2024, 19:00 Audimax and livestream
Dr. Gerhard Schwehm
Planetary Protection
Planetary Protection (PP) is the protection of bodies in the solar system from contamination by terrestrial life and, conversely, the protection of Earth from possible life forms brought back to Earth by other bodies.
All space agencies observe the rules and requirements laid down by COSPAR, the Committee on Space Research. These rules are based on the current state of scientific knowledge we have about the objects in our planetary system and are proposed by a panel of experts from COSPAR, the Planetary Protection Panel.
Planetary protection has been discussed since the beginning of space travel; as early as 1958, the International Council of Scientific Unions (ICSU) set up a committee "on Contamination by Extraterrestrial Exploration (CETEX)" to address the concerns of many scientists that space missions to the moon and other bodies in the solar system could compromise their future scientific exploration. This task was assigned to COSPAR shortly afterwards. COSPAR created the International Standard for Planetary Protection, which since 1967 has also been regarded as a guideline for compliance with the requirements of Article IX of the UN Outer Space Treaty.
Starting with the Apollo missions to the moon and the Viking missions to Mars, we will show how the PP requirements have developed. Using the example of the ESA Juice Mission to the moons of Jupiter, we will see what needs to be taken into account when building a spacecraft in order to meet the requirements. The major future challenges for PP will be the return of soil samples from Mars to Earth and the first astronauts on Mars.
PP is always in close contact with the mission planners to ensure that international agreements are adhered to. The actual purpose is to support scientific research into chemical evolution and the origin of life in the solar system.
Livestream:
We are of course looking forward to welcoming as many guests as possible, but would like to offer those who do not have the opportunity to come to Zweibrücken next Wednesday the opportunity to follow the lecture live (and only live!) via the Internet. There will be no recording of the lecture via this channel. The livestream will be online on Wednesday from around 18:45 and can also be accessed from outside the university.
The direct link to the livestream:
Participation of the observatory in Open Campus 2024
The Zweibrücken Observatory will be taking part in the Zweibrücken Campus Open Day on 20.04.2024.
We open our observatory from 10:00 to 14:00 and offer our visitors an insight into the world of astronomy. We not only explain how our telescopes work, but also the technology behind them. In addition, our guests have the opportunity to observe the sun in a safe and expert manner.
Wednesday, 10.04.2024, 19:00, Audimax
The lecture by Prof. Dr. Hans-Ulrich Keller on neutron stars has to be postponed. Instead, the following lecture will take place on this day:
Mathias Jäger (Scientific / Technical Director, Planetarium Mannheim)
34 years of the Hubble Space Telescope - a success story
April 25, 2024 marks the 34th anniversary of the launch of the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope. Dr. Mathias Jäger, former ESA press officer for the telescope, takes a look at the incredible success story of Hubble, the scientific breakthroughs it has made possible, but also the setbacks and problems of the mission. He also asks the question: What can a 34-year-old scientific instrument still achieve today? And to what extent has Hubble become obsolete due to the new James Webb Space Telescope?
Wednesday, 27.03.2024, 19:00, Audimax
Dr. Helmut Warth, HYTRAC Team, Mannheim
The German space transporter project SÄNGER: "A technology of tomorrow that came to the museum yesterday!"
This lecture was originally planned for 17.01.2024 and had to be postponed due to the weather conditions.
SÄNGER is a concept for a reusable space transporter that was designed by the German space pioneer Prof. Dr.-Ing. Eugen Sänger. It was first developed in the 1960s for a two-stage launcher system. In the mid-1980s, this idea was taken up again by the then German aerospace company Messerschmitt-Bölkow-Blohm and, with the support of the Ministry of Research and Technology, the SÄNGER II project was launched, which no longer received political support from 1995 onwards due to the reorganization of the aerospace industry in Europe. However, test components and technical know-how were saved for the museum, where they now lie dormant in an aircraft hangar.
The HYTRAC team (Hypersonic Transportation Consulting), which consists of a group of former SÄNGER II project employees and close friends around Prof. Dr.-Ing. Dr. h. c. Peter A. Kramer, the late former development manager of the SÄNGER II propulsion technology, and his youngest son, Rolf Kramer, have made it their mission to bring this hypersonic project back to life. After almost 40 years, this technology is still innovative, more environmentally friendly, more sustainable and more relevant than ever for civil and defensive applications in the aerospace industry.
Dr.-Ing Helmut Warth, who has more than 35 years of professional experience in the fields of aerospace, fluid mechanics and automotive engineering, is the HYTRAC team member responsible for the technical coordination and public funding of this project. Together with his colleagues, he will report on the history and current status of the project.
Livestream:
We are of course looking forward to welcoming as many guests as possible, but would like to offer those who do not have the opportunity to come to Zweibrücken next Wednesday the opportunity to follow the lecture live (and only live!) via the Internet. There will be no recording of the lecture via this channel. The livestream will be online on Wednesday from around 18:45 and can also be accessed from outside the university.
The direct link to the livestream:
https://video.hs-kl.de/Panopto/Pages/Sessions/List.aspx?folderID=8bd1420d-8297-4209-976d-af8200a6d151
Further information is available at:
https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sänger_(space transportation system)
Wednesday, 31.01.2024, 19:00, Audimax
Dr. Rolf-Dieter Schad (ophthalmologist in ZW and NAWI member)
The Milky Way and beyond into the depths of space
On dark nights, you can see a shining band in the sky next to many stars. This is the Milky Way, our home galaxy. In order to keep an overview, the stars were grouped into constellations in ancient times. Size and surface temperature vary greatly, from brown dwarfs to blue supergiants.
Many stars are in double or multiple systems, in open star clusters or very numerous and close together in globular clusters. Star-forming regions, dying stars and supernovae and their remnants can also be observed. Approximately 2.4 million light years away, the Andromeda galaxy can even be seen with the naked eye as a small patch of light. Countless galaxies follow in the depths of space. Some of the easily observable objects are summarized in the famous Messier catalog. The entire universe is expanding, and even amateur astronomers can detect the resulting red shift.
Dr. Rolf-Dieter Schad is known to the people of Zweibrücken as an ophthalmologist. He has been an active member of the Natural Science Association of Zweibrücken (NAWI) for almost 20 years and has contributed a great deal to the modernization of the observatory. His numerous observations of the sky and the motto of the Science Year 2023 "Our Universe" inspired him to give this lecture.
Wednesday, 29.11.2023, 19:00, Audimax
Rainer Kresken (Space engineer, ESA/ESOC, Darmstadt)
Planetary Defense: How do you teach asteroids to keep their distance?
Keeping a distance of 1.5 meters at all times - this has been effective in recent years against the global threat of viruses and has saved lives. However, this distance is unlikely to be sufficient against the global threat of asteroid strikes. The lecture will present ideas on how a small planet defense could work so that we don't end up like the dinosaurs once did. Rainer Kresken is head of the Starkenburg Observatory in Heppenheim and a space engineer at the European Space Operations Center (ESOC) in Darmstadt. There, he searches for asteroids that could pose a threat to Earth for the European Space Agency ESA.
Further information is available at:
https://www.starkenburg-sternwarte.de/vorstand/
Wednesday, 15.11.2023, 19:00, Audimax
Dr. Christian Theis (Director and Managing Director of the Mannheim Planetarium)
The future of the universe
Astronomy usually looks into the past. In this lecture, however, we will look into the future of the universe on the basis of our current world view and the laws of nature as we know them. Accordingly, the lecture will begin with a summary of what has happened in the universe so far, followed by an outlook on future events in the near and distant future. The focus will be on the development of the Earth and the solar system as well as our galaxy, the Milky Way. We will then broaden our view and turn to the question of when the (stellar) light in the universe will go out, when and how the last stars in the cosmos will form and what will become of the galaxies. Finally, we will ask ourselves what will remain in this universe after eons.
Further information is available at:
https://www.planetarium-mannheim.de/
https://www.mannheim.de/de/presse/erfolgreiche-kontinuitaet-im-planetarium-mannheim-dr-christian-theis-setzt-vertrag-fort
Astronomy Day and partial lunar eclipse on October 28, 2023
To mark this year's Day of Astronomy in Science Year 2023 and the partial lunar eclipse, the observatory will be open from 8 p.m., provided the night sky is clear.
Under expert guidance and explanation, you have the opportunity to observe the partial lunar eclipse through our telescope.
Regardless of the weather, the event takes place at 6 pm in the Lecture hall N101 in the chapel (first traffic circle on the campus coming from the city center, on the right hand side).
The speaker is Mr. Martin Bertges, head of the astronomy and geophysics working group at the Geoscope Prehistoric Museum at Lichtenberg Castle near Kusel.
Topic: Next stop the moon - the new race? In the coming years, humans are to set foot on the moon again, a new space station is to be built for this purpose and can also be used for other missions. What will this look like and what benefits can it bring for people on Earth?
Admission is free, advance registration is not necessary.
The night of shooting stars - observing the Perseids on the night of August 12/13, 2023
It's that time again. This year's maximum of the Perseids will take place on the night of August 12-13. The highest rate of up to 100 shooting stars per hour is expected towards the morning of the 13th.
Provided the night sky is clear, we open our observatory from 9 pm. Under expert guidance and explanation, we offer a view through our telescope of the objects and the beauty of the summer night sky after dark.
Regardless of the weather, a lecture by Dr. Rolf-Dieter Schad, Zweibrücken Observatory, will take place at 8 pm in lecture hall N101 in the chapel (first traffic circle on campus coming from the city center, on the right). Topic: Our universe
Universe I - Our solar system, of course with consideration of the meteor streams, especially the Perseids.
For personal observation of the Perseids on the green areas around the observatory, we recommend a sleeping mat or blanket and appropriate clothing for the cooler nights. Binoculars are also recommended for a visual walk across the sky.
More information about the Perseids can be found in the sky forecast for the august.
Tour of Germany - RAMOTS visits the Zweibrücken Observatory
The youth group of the Astronomische Vereinigung Bodensee e.V., called "Bodenseesternwarte", has built Europe's largest mobile tracking system for moving celestial and terrestrial objects, called RAMOTS, with around 25 young people.
RAMOTS stands for "Realtime Automatic Moving Object Tracking System". This is a large telescope mounted on a trailer. The telescope can be controlled using a joystick and Arduino microcomputers. This makes it possible to take photos and video recordings of fast-moving objects.
The project was launched in the summer of 2020 in a race to see who could take a good photo of the International Space Station (ISS) first. The solar-powered telescope system can also be used to photograph sailing boats, airplanes, light aircraft, ski racers and much more.
On 22.05.2023 from 4 pm, four members of the "Bodensee-Sternwarte" will demonstrate RAMOTS to the group at the NAWI Observatory Zweibrücken, Amerikastraße 1 (assuming good weather).
In the evening at 8 p.m., the lecture by
Markus Kohler, Bodenseesternwarte
RAMOTS - Hunting satellites with a joystick and telescope
in lecture hall H003 opposite the observatory.
The screening and lecture are open to the public.
The Astronomische Vereinigung Bodensee e.V. (Lake Constance Astronomical Association) was founded in 1996 on the initiative of astronomy enthusiasts whose aim was to educate the public about astronomy. The non-profit association, which is now based in Friedrichshafen, operates a mobile observatory where, depending on the weather, the public can also observe the sky through the association's telescopes.
Further information:
Participation of the observatory in Open Campus 2023
The Zweibrücken Observatory will be taking part in the Zweibrücken Campus Open Day on 22.04.2023.
We open our observatory from 10:00 to 15:00 and offer our visitors an insight into the world of astronomy. We not only explain how our telescopes work, but also the technology behind them. In addition, our guests have the opportunity to observe the sun in a safe and expert manner.
The following lectures are offered in room H003 (entrance directly at the small parking lot below the observatory):
14:00 Lecture Dr. Walter Arnold
Topic: What can be observed with the all-sky camera at Zweibrücken Observatory?
With the all-sky cameras, an international network of cameras operated by amateur observatories and whose images are publicly accessible, it is possible to observe the burning up of meteroids as meteors ("shooting stars") in the Earth's atmosphere. The lecturer will explain how to access the images from the cameras via the Internet, discuss the origin of the meteroids, their composition and their physical characteristics.
14:30 Lecture Dr. Rolf-Dieter Schad
Topic: Solar observation - carried out as safely as possible
The lecture briefly explains the processes on the sun and shows various methods of observation. Possible dangers are discussed, as the speaker is an ophthalmologist. Some solar eclipses and transits observed by Zweibrücken itself will be presented.
Astronomy Day
Since the International Year of Astronomy in 2009, NAWI has been participating regularly in the activities of the Astronomy Day
Open Campus
We are also taking part in the yearly “Open Campus Day“ of the Zweibrücken University of Applied Sciences, provided weather conditions allow the opening of the observatory. We then explain the principle of the operation of the telescopes and we also offer:
- Observations of the sun with its spots, granules, and prominences with our H-alpha telescope and other telescopes.
- Observations of planets and even stars during daytime if conditions permit.