In the weekend of February 29 2020 the 44th rendition of the Dutch National Stargazing days is held. The Blaauw Observatory is open to the public on Friday February 28 and Saturday February 29 for young and old. Come and enjoy a tour, a planetarium show, a lecture and many more astronomical activities! From February 17, 20:00, you can reserve your tickets (for free!) for Friday and for Saturday. More information about the programme can be found below.
Program
Every spring, we participate in the National Stargazing Days, a weekend full of astronomical activities throughout The Netherlands. This year, the National Stargazing Days are on February 28, 29 and March 1. The Blaauw Observatory is open for the public on Friday February 28 and Saturday February 29. Entrance to the event is free, so don't hesitate to come and enjoy guided tours, planetarium shows, lectures, quizzes and even an interactive exhibition! The programme for this year is as follows:
- 19:00 - Children's quiz (in Dutch)
- 20:00 - Lecture (in Dutch) (by prof. dr. Eline Tolstoy about Galactic Paleontology on Friday and by prof. dr. Rien van de Weijgaert on Betelgeuse on Saturday)
- 21:30 - Astronomy News with Bernard Jones (in English)
- Ongoing - Space Laboratory: Cool experiments, fun arts&crafts and even a VR set up!
- Ongoing - Interactive Exhibition 'Our Stellar Neighbourhood'
- Ongoing - Guided tours to the Observatory from 18:00 to 23:00 starting every half hour. English tours are at 20:00 and at 22:00. From February 17, 20:00, tickets can be reserved for Friday and for Saturday.
- Ongoing - Planetarium shows from 18:00 to 22:30 starting every half hour, English shows are at 19:30 and 21:30. From February 17, 20:00, tickets can be reserved for Friday and for Saturday.
- Ongoing - Flexible short tours to the observing terrace where telescopes are set up. No reservations needed!
For a more detailed programme and a map of the building, see this site.
