Visit to Serra La Nave Observatory
On May 27, a social trip is planned to the Serra La Nave Observing Station, located on Mount Etna, approximately 30 km from Catania and 15 km from Nicolosi. Altitude: 1725 m.
The station is named after Mario Girolamo Fracastoro, former Director of the Astrophysical Observatory of Catania in 1960s, and serves as an active hub for professional astronomical research. The facility hosts:
- the 91 cm aperture Colacevich telescope. This is a reflector telescope with a Cassegrain ptical configuration and German equatorial mount. It operates in the visible and near infrared and is equipped with a high-resolution echelle spectrograph mounted at the focus. Open to the stellar community, it is used for spectroscopic and spectropolarimetric investigations;
- a reflector telescope with diameter of 61 cm historically operated together the 91 cm telescope for photometric observations, and now dismantled;
- the 80 cm APT2 robotic telescope, dedicated to imaging photometry;
- ASTRI-Horn, a prototype Cherenkov telescope that is part of the international Cherenkov Telescope Array (CTA) project, designed to detect ultra-high-energy particles through their interactions with the Earth’s atmosphere.
In addition to its scientific activities, the facility also supports educational and public outreach initiatives, contributing to the dissemination of astronomical knowledge and promoting science engagement.
Social Dinner
After the trip to Serra La Nave and Mt. Etna, the Social Dinner will be organised. More information will be provided later.
