The Astronomical Society of Burgundy recorded this summer ten thousand visitors who took advantage of a clear sky to observe the stars and planets from Corcelles-les-Monts.
Nice success for the summer activities at the Observatoire des Hautes Plates organized by the Astronomical Society of Burgundy. In a summer marked by heat and clear nights, and without health restrictions for the first time in two years, Dijon residents and holidaymakers came in large numbers to the observations organized every Saturday in July and August.
With nearly 10,000 people, the summer of 2022 will have been one of the busiest, in particular the Nights of the Stars on August 5 and 6, and the Night of the Perseids on August 12, which becomes an unmissable event each year.
Like every summer, the Astronomical Society of Burgundy opened its observatory free of charge to the public every Saturday in July and August, with a few special events in addition. After 2018, the summer of 2022 was one of the busiest. A success that can no doubt be explained by the weather, very favorable to observation and night outings, the end of sanitary restrictions, and an increasingly important enthusiasm for the sciences of the Universe.
– Nights of the Stars – 5 and 6 August. Friday evening was overcast until midnight, limiting the number of visitors to 1400 people. It is quite different on Saturday August 6, with a beautiful starry night which welcomed 4700 people. What constitutes today one of our two nights of the most frequented stars. It was also undoubtedly one of the busiest in France for this event, which was taken up everywhere in France. It is also the most important event in scientific culture in Bourgogne Franche-Comté. For these two evenings, the Astronomical Society is setting up an exceptional system with an increasingly large Astro Village of around ten workshops showing all aspects and innovations in astronomy (Meteorites, children’s games, connected telescopes, books, news, archaeoastronomy, exhibition of astronomical photos of members…), and always the conferences,
– The Night of the Perseids – Friday August 12: it is the Night where each summer we see the most shooting stars. And it is known. This particular night is becoming a habit and the people of Dijon willingly go up to the observatory. Attendance regularly equals that of the Nuits des Étoiles. 1500 people this year despite the Full Moon whose brightness prevented to see the weakest.
– Météorites Experience – from June 30 to July 3: a new event in partnership with the Jardin de l’Arquebuse and the Pavillon des Sciences. as part of the Vigie-Ciel program and Asteroid Day (World Asteroid Day). It is a series of workshops to explain how to find fresh meteorites in the field, from detection to hunting, and study them to better understand the origin of the solar system. This first edition was a great success. 1000 people came over the 5 days. Two days were reserved for classes but given the influx of requests, it was necessary to organize an additional day. An event to perpetuate?
– Under the Full Moon – Saturday August 13: In the full moon it is difficult to observe, so for this Saturday of the August Full Moon, the SAB has innovated by offering an evening between storytelling and debunking of myths concerning the Full Moon . A satisfactory first time with 350 visitors and very rich exchanges on beliefs and infox.
– On The moon Again – Saturday July 9: A rather special international day, where it is a question of installing telescopes in places of passage and of observing. The sabians were waiting for passers-by at Semur-en-Auxois, Arnay-le-Duc, Château-Chinon, Athèe, Chatillon sur Seine and Talant.
– Les Douces Nuits de la SAB: On the other Saturdays of the summer, the observatory was open and between 40 and 80 visitors at each session were able to observe Saturn and the rest of the jewels of the summer.
The SAB is now attacking the start of the new school year by continuing to make the public dream with one conference and one observation per month, always free of charge. The first public observation is also this Saturday, September 3, to prolong this beautiful starry summer.
Activities for members are also resuming. With 250 members it remains the most important regional association of amateur astronomy and thematic meetings will take place almost every day to satisfy their appetite for astronomy.
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