OBSERVATORY OF LAKE ALQUEVA CELEBRATES THIRD BIRTHDAY
It is already on 11 May that the Alqueva Lake Observatory – OLA, located near the historic village of Monsaraz in the Alentejo, celebrates its third anniversary.
As it should be, OLA wanted to mark the date with a series of initiatives, both for kids and adults, which include music, the inauguration of a photography exhibition, an edition of “Science Café” and of course, astronomical observations.
In the afternoon, more specifically, between 4.30 pm and 5.30 pm, there will be another “Astronomical Sabbath”, with activities for the youngest, where candidates for small scientists will discover the planets that orbit our star in the 400 meters from the solar system to scale.
Visitors will be able to learn how to measure the time by a solar clock, observe the protuberances in the sun at the telescope, and participate in the inauguration of the “Cielo & amp; Mar “by Professor Pedro Ré, president of the Portuguese Association of Amateur Astronomers.
At 21:30 in another “Science Café” this time entitled “The dark side of the force”, Dr. Tiago Barreiro of the Institute of Astrophysics and Space Sciences and the University of Lusofona will show that more than 90 percent of the Universe belongs to its dark side, of which, little or almost nothing is known. This presentation intends to get to know the concepts of Dark Matter and Dark Energy, and the first allows the galaxies to remain
and the last one, responsible for the accelerated expansion of the Universe.
The OLA in Monsaraz, in the Alentejo, seeks to find visitors a pleasant place to visit the Universe and learn astronomy and astrophotography in one of the regions of Europe protected from the light pollution of large urban centers.
Only one year after the start of its activities, in May 2017, the Alqueva Lake Observatory – OLA, was recognized by the Alentejo and Ribatejo Tourism Agency, with an Honorable Mention, in the category of “Best Tourist Animation 2016”. Last year, he was the winner of the “Best Tourist Animation 2017” award.
