Entry €5, free for members and children up to 11 years old.

Who hasn’t been enchanted by a starry sky or by those spectacular astronomical photos circulating on the internet? Caught up in the excitement (and perhaps an online promotion), we find ourselves buying a telescope with the belief that, after all, “it’s just about pointing it at the sky.”

 We are now used to smartphones and super-advanced gadgets that do everything by themselves, but here comes the surprise: the seemingly simple telescope quickly reveals itself to be a mysterious object worthy of a NASA enigma. The result? Frustration, nights spent searching for the Moon in vain, and that annoying feeling that perhaps it would have been better to buy binoculars.

 But fear not! In this evening, with clear and simple language suitable for everyone, we will review the most common mistakes (yes, we’ve all made them!) and see how to avoid them. We will discover the differences between the various types of telescopes and mounts, and understand the best way to start using them without losing our minds.

A guide for those who have just purchased a telescope or are about to do so and want to avoid using it as an elegant umbrella stand.

If the weather is nice, we will be able to observe the Moon through the telescope and see it projected in high resolution on a large screen with a planetary camera. Among other things, visible will be the John Herschel crater, the Sinus Iridum, Aristarchus and Herodotus, Kepler, Gassendi and the Mare Nubium, Schiller, Scheiner, and Blancanus.

I bought a telescope… and now? (Paolo D’Incà)