THE WONDERS OF THE AUTUMN SKY (Sandra De Bacco - Rheticus)
With the arrival of autumn, the night sky changes its face and offers stargazing enthusiasts a spectacle full of fascination. The nights become progressively longer and become the ideal opportunity to raise your gaze and be enchanted by the wonders of the Universe.
Among the protagonists of the autumn sky, we find the constellations of Pegasus, Andromeda, and Cassiopeia, easily recognizable and rich in interesting celestial objects. In the constellation of Andromeda, even with a simple binocular and under sufficiently dark skies, it is possible to look for the famous Andromeda Galaxy (M31), a gigantic spiral galaxy about 2.5 million light-years away from Earth.
Autumn is also a particularly interesting time to observe planets, the Moon, and the astronomical events that mark the passage of the seasons. Evenings dedicated to observation can thus become an opportunity to better understand the sky and grasp the phenomena hidden behind those small bright points we see shining above us.
Observing the sky means not only recognizing stars and constellations: it also means rediscovering the dimension of time and space. The light that reaches our eyes has often traveled for years, centuries, or even millions of years before arriving to us.
The night of the moon will give us the opportunity, through the multiple instruments of the Center, to observe in detail the most beautiful deep sky objects, galaxies, nebulae, double, triple, and colorful stars, as well as, with the help of lasers, to identify the constellations of the autumn sky and discover through them, ancient myths and fascinating stories.
