Natural science Swiss observatories open their doors on Astronomy Day

Several observatories in Switzerland are opening their doors on Astronomy Day on Saturday. With auroras, full moons and most recently the comet Tsuchinshan-Atlas, stargazers have already been able to experience one or two highlights this year.

"There is still great interest in astronomy and space travel among the population," Marc Eichenberger, President of the Swiss Astronomy Society (SAG), told the Keystone-SDA news agency. There is also a great need for education in order to correctly classify the observations and events in the sky.

Eichenberger has been active in the Lucerne Astronomical Society for 30 years. In good weather, around 200 to 300 visitors of all ages come along on an astronomy day. On the last weekly observation evening on Tuesday, there were just under 50 visitors - despite the bad weather.

The comet Tsuchinshan-Atlas passing by the earth was certainly a magnet. Another highlight this year was the aurora borealis, which appeared repeatedly due to the high level of solar activity. Otherwise, however, the astronomical sky was rather quiet, said the President.

Solar eclipses in Europe

Professional astronomy remains exciting due to observations from space and large telescopes as well as space travel and its research satellites. Several partial, annular and total solar eclipses are also likely to occur between 2025 and 2028. In Europe, these will primarily be visible in Spain.

The first Swiss Astronomy Day took place on September 17, 1988. This year, the SAG celebrated its 50th birthday. With the proclamation of the Swiss Astronomy Day, the SAG wanted to enable the population to come into closer contact with astronomy.

The SAG is the umbrella organization of Swiss amateur astronomers. It comprises 25 observatories and four planetariums. The sections have a total of 2300 members. The umbrella organization does not cover all amateur astronomers in Switzerland. 22 observatories are not part of the umbrella organization.