1/2 Venus, Jupiter and the moon were clearly visible (photo: Joost Smits).
The northern lights that can be seen in Brabant and the rest of the Netherlands. Jupiter and Venus ‘kissing’ each other in the sky. According to chairman Herman Vissia of observatory Tivoli in Oudenbosch, astronomy or astronomy is ‘totally hot’. “Especially among young people.”
For Vissia, just like the sky last week, it is crystal clear: “We actually notice it in everything at the observatory. It is increasingly busy at the courses and information evenings. We also see more and more parents with children coming here. Pretty strange to see,” says Vissia enthusiastically.
Because there is no shortage of enthusiasm about astronomy at the observatory. “It is wonderful to see that enthusiasm among the public as well. It is of course not about a spectacular increase, but we have seen more and more interest in recent years, especially from young people.”
“We get primary schools, but also groups with the elderly.”
Interest has also increased at other observatories in recent years, such as the Halley observatory in Heesch. “Certainly. We are fully booked long in advance. We are busy with it, and actually in all age groups. We have primary schools, but also groups with the elderly,” says Urijan Poerink van Halley.
“Pooh, a cause? Well, there is a lot of publicity about the lunar flights that have started again,” explains Poerink. “There will also be more large telescopes. Space fascinates people and that makes sense. That is why we have always been busy in the thirty years that we have existed. But now it is clearly increasing, that is.”
Why young people in particular and why now? Herman Vissia knows ‘a little’ why, he thinks. “Stories about Jupiter and Venus and the Northern Lights definitely help. But we think that the internet is mainly driving interest.”
“Cameras are glued to everything these days. Beautiful images.”
The internet, by which Vissia mainly refers to social media and video platforms such as YouTube and TikTok. “Cameras are glued to everything these days. This produces beautiful images, and at high resolution. For example, the space transportation company SpaceX launches a rocket twice a week and broadcasts the images.”
Carlo Jenneskens is an amateur astronomer and an honorary member of the Royal Dutch Society for Weather and Astronomy West-Brabant. He can often be found at the observatory in Oudenbosch.
“We are the people who look at the celestial bodies through the telescope. Professional astronomers don’t actually do that themselves anymore,” he says. “On Wednesday the sky was crystal clear. Two groups then spent hours looking through the telescope. They were thrilled,” he explains.
Nowadays it is also easier to convey the enthusiasm, says Jenneskes. “For example, you can hold telephone cameras in front of the telescope. Then you can use the telescope to take a picture of the moons around Jupiter. They then send them on to friends and acquaintances. And so it goes.”
READ ALSO:
For example, planets Venus and Jupiter shine in the Brabant sky
Solar eclipses are always special for the observatory