Lunar eclipse on Astronomy Day in Neumünster

Neumünster. When darkness falls, the largest observatory in Schleswig-Holstein opens its doors: on Saturday, October 28, the Neumünster Observatory will participate in the National Astronomy Day.

From 5pm to 11pm, anyone interested can take a look at the observatory at Hanknoll 58 in Neumünster, and as night falls, you can take a look through different telescopes.

At 7 p.m., Professor Wolfgang Deuschel, Director of the Institute for Theoretical Physics and Astrophysics at Christian Albrechts University in Kiel, will give a guest lecture on astronomy: “How the Milky Way got its arms.”

Lecture on the Milky Way in Neumünster

Spiral galaxies, such as our own Milky Way, make up about a third of all galaxies. They stand out because of their brightly glowing spiral arms. However, even today, how these poor people came to be is not fully understood. “In my talk I will give an overview of the structure of galaxies in general, then I will focus on spiral galaxies and describe them in more detail, and finally I will talk about current work, not least in Kiel,” says Professor Duschl.

Another highlight of the evening is the partial lunar eclipse, which will be visible from 9:35pm if skies are clear. The full moon touches the Earth’s shadow. Because part of the moon is dark, it is called a partial lunar eclipse.

A new telescope is presented in Neumunster

Astronomers at the Neumünster Observatory want to present two additional highlights to the public on Astronomy Day. A replica of the main mass of the Elmshorn meteorite is on display for the first time. “Our visitors can now get an impression of the largest meteorite ever found in Schleswig-Holstein,” says Observatory Director Marco Ludwig. He made the replica himself using a 3D printer.

Another highlight this evening was the opening of the new Giant Telescope, the largest telescope in Schleswig-Holstein. The people of Neumünster built this with the help of a major fundraising campaign for the observatory’s 50th birthday.

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The Dobsonian reflecting telescope has a diameter of 24 inches and a focal length of 2400 mm. The name “Elton” stands for the Very Large Neumünster Telescope. If the skies are clear, visitors can also catch a glimpse of the lunar eclipse through Elton.

CN