Entrance 5 euros, free for members and children under 11 years old.

Every Saturday in March discovering comets, planets, and stars

On Saturday, March 1 at 9 PM  Gabriele Vanin will hold a lecture on an unusual yet stimulating and also entertaining topic, especially in light of the recent practice that has taken hold, namely the delivery of all sorts of warnings about imaginary astronomical phenomena that should be visible in the sky, coming from mysterious scientific information agencies. It will also be an opportunity, in addition to demystifying this practice, to have a good laugh at the presentation of the biggest hoaxes and the most solemn blunders made even by prestigious newspapers and various media outlets. If the weather is good, it will be possible to observe the planets Jupiter and Mars, attempt to view the white dwarf Sirius B, explore the deep sky of late winter, with the open clusters in Auriga, the Pleiades, the Orion Nebula, the Christmas Tree cluster, and begin to take a first look at the Spring galaxies, M 81 and M 82.
On Saturday, March 8 and 15, the observation will be moved to 6 PM  to allow for the observation of the planets Mercury and Venus, both visible on both evenings in different phase conditions. Mars and Jupiter will still be well visible, along with the Moon, around the first quarter on the first night and just past the full moon on the second. Additionally, it will be possible to attempt to observe Sirius B, at least on the first night, when the Moon will cause less interference, and to show beautiful colored multiple stars. On March 15, it will also be possible to witness the brightest pass of this round of the International Space Station, which will pass almost at zenith over the Center.
Finally, on March 29 at 11 AM  there will be a public observation of the partial solar eclipse, which will occur from 11:30 AM to 12:49 PM, with a magnitude (the fraction of the solar diameter covered by the Moon) of 0.16, and a percentage of the solar surface obscured of 8%. There will also be the chance to observe the thin, yet spectacular, phase of Venus. We will also try to observe that of Mercury, although it will be very difficult due to the planet’s faintness and proximity to the Sun.
In case of bad weather, instead of the observations, replacement lectures will be held at the planetarium, by Alain Corso on March 8 and 15, and by Gabriele Vanin on the 29th.