Comet Gazing!
Special activity at the Official Dark Sky Alqueva Observatory in Cumeada village, whenever a comet is found in the sky with good observability conditions.
NEW COMET GAZING SESSIONS
Due to the great interest around the Comet Gazing activity, we decided to make the comet C/2022 E3 ZTF our main target again, this time on the night of the 28th to the 29th of January
This comet, discovered in 2022, reaches its greatest approximation to the Sun on the 12th of January and reaches perigee (the closest point to Earth) on the 1st of February. However, given the moon phases, the best chance to observe the comet visually will be around the January new moon, which will happen on this weekend.
Due to its position on the celestial sphere, the observation of this visitor from the cold Solar System depths will only be possible at later hours of the night, and that is why we prepared these special stargazing sessions for the night of the 28th to the 29th of January.
It may become visible to the naked eye, but that is still uncertain. Nevertheless, the comet is easily visible using our equipments.
Join us in this unique opportunity to observe C/2022 E3 ZTF comet, which is predicted to return in no less than 50.000 years!
Times:
Sessions available (night of the 28th to the 29th of January):
29/01 – 01h30 – Portuguese Session
29/01 – 03h00 – English Session
Prices:
Ages 13 and above:
40,00€ / person
Ages 8 to 12:
20,00€ / person
Ages 7 and lower: Free.
Note: This activity will only be done if there is a minimum number of 4 confirmed bookings, and it has a maximum of 16 participants, per session.
Frequently asked questions:
- In case the weather is bad, what do we do?
Should the weather conditions not favour a session with telescopes, the activity is cancelled. During the reservation we store your phone contact so we can reach out to you directly and keep you up to date on the current weather situation. Sometimes we can only be sure right before the session so if you don’t hear from us, it’s because we are not sure.
- Is the activity recommended for children?
It Depends. If your child is very interested in the subject, then yes. Otherwise, for some children the late hour of the activity, and the difficulty in observing some of the targets through the telescope, can cause a lack of interest.