Places of interest28 May 2019

Astronomic Observatory Perinaldo [VIDEO-PHOTO GALLERY]

Ideal for the reception of the public, who will observe the beautiful images provided by the telescope and dwell on a view, with the stars that will "plunge" into the sea visible in the distance.

Perinaldo planetarium

THE OBSERVATORY

Observing and teaching activities take place in the dome, in the yard and in a suitable place to welcome multimedia projections.

The observation area has opened in July of 2010 with a new telescope of 356mm in diameter. The excellent performance of this instrument, together with the extra space available, make this new area ideal for the reception of the public, who will observe the beautiful images provided by the telescope and dwell on a view, with the stars that will "plunge" into the sea visible in the distance.

The dome is placed on the roof overlooking the courtyard and measures approximately 3 meters in diameter; to access it you climb a flight of stairs to the attic, then 4 iron steps to go up to the telescope; the dome is able to accommodate no more than 5-6 people at a time.

In the courtyard are made observations with portable telescopes, both day and night, as well as animations, during the meetings dedicated to the Sun, with equipment such as Helioscope, sundials, various models.

In the Council Chamber, used for multimedia projections and conferences, on the occasion of special events, are projected on the big screen, the pictures taken live from the telescope dome.

The tools:

The main observational area is equipped with a Meade LX200 ACF with opening of 356mm and focal length of 3556mm. The dome has a Newtonian reflector at a fixed location, with opening of 380 mm and a focal length of 1700 mm, particularly suitable for observations of nebulae and galaxies. For the observations of the moon and planets there are two Schmidt-Cassegrain, with opening of 203 mm and 2030 mm focal length, equipped for the observation of the Sun. Finally, a PST in H-alpha for the observation of the Sun and its chromosphere. The educational activities about the Sun, Moon, stars and planets, are held in the form of laboratory with the aid of information boards and photos, models, simple materials, including self-built.

Recently, the instrumentation was supplemented with:
Celestron NexStar 8, opening 203mm, 2030mm focal.
Refractor 80ED Sky-Watcher
Set-up Sky-Watcher HEQ-5
Reflector Sky-Watcher 130mm focal length 900mm
Reflector Konus 114mm focal length of one meter

Cassini Museum

Life, research and discoveries of the great astronomer Cassini :.
The Museum, located in the Town Hall Perinaldo, is open every working day in office hours from 8.30 to 12. The museum, created by the City of Perinaldo in 1997, is dedicated to Gio.Domenico Cassini, but also to his descendants, including astronomers and cartographers G.F.Maraldi and G.D.Maraldi, also born in Perinaldo; many documents on display pages of observations, drawings and correspondence portraits. [Biography of these scientist will follow]

On the right as you enter, the description and the story of the life of the great astronomer from Perinaldo, Genoa, Bologna, Paris, a lifetime of research and study continuously dedicated to sky observation and science.

10 thematic displays to describe the main topics covered by the astronomer, his observations and discoveries, presenting his descendants astronomers and cartographers, the tools in use at the time. Also, portraits of colleagues and teachers and a family tree of the family Cassini and Maraldi of Perinaldo. In the museum and in adjacent rooms, a vast documentation with photos and information panels on astronomy and space missions.

Free admission at the times indicated above. In the case of visits of groups it is recommended to communicate the arrival, if possible in advance useful to avoid overcrowding. Organised by Stellaria guided tours by appointment. Contacts - tel. 348 5520554 Guided tour of the Museum, during the day: Duration 1 hour per group.
Guided tour of the Museum + observation of the Sun, day time: About 2 hours.
Guided tour of the Museum + route through the country (on the trail of Cassini and Maraldi: meridians, sundials and solar system to scale): (max. 50 persons). About 2 hours.

The Planetarium

The sky in a room:
The Planetarium is a tool of great educational and popular value, a great help for learning the astronomical culture; it consists of a projection, which takes place inside a dome, by means of a suitable tool to simulate the sky and explain the movements of the major celestial bodies, stars, constellations and planets. It's a tool that allows us to spend some time under the charm of a starry sky, which our cities do not allow us any more, to appreciate the beauty and get to know it, observing it in different seasons, in a captivating trip through stars and constellations; but it can also be a way for evocative and romantic approach to astronomy, reading the great book of the sky, under a roof of fascinating stars.

The Planetarium Perinaldo allows the screening of about 2,000 stars, sun and moon, the five planets visible to the naked eye and the mythological representations of many constellations, under a dome of 4 m in diameter; It is placed in a room, always within the premises of the Town Hall, and can accommodate about 20-25 people at a time. Each screening takes about 30 minutes.

In some cases the fixed dome can be replaced by an inflatable dome, 6 meters in diameter, which is the same that is transported in schools.

The Sanctuary of the Visitation darkroom sundial

Every day, true "natural clock", the image of the sun appears from the west, crossing the line marking accurately the true local noon and disappears to the east.

During the year, day after day, it runs along the line between the two solstices: by the summer, when the sun is at its maximum height above the horizon, in the winter, when the sun is at its minimum height; real calendar, indeed astronomical almanac, given the large amount of data that the tool can provide many aspects of the apparent movement of the sun and the movements of the Earth: the values of the declination of the Sun every day of the year, obliquity the Earth's axis, the change in the Sun's apparent diameter, etc ..

Historical conditions have made sure that were built in Italy, and even today there are, the vast majority of these instruments, among which we mention the two of us more " close "and among the most famous: the Meridiana of the Basilica of San Petronio in Bologna, built in 1655 by Giovanni Domenico Cassini, and the Meridiana of the Basilica of Santa Maria degli Angeli in Rome, built in 1702 by Francesco Bianchini and Giacomo Filippo Maraldi, the latter a grandson of G.D.Cassini.
(For more details about the Sanctuary, read our last week's article).

The Cassini Meridian

Longitude 7 ° 40 '

meridiano-cassini-perinaldo
The route of the "Cassini Meridian", longitude 7 ° 40', was reported in addition to Perinaldo, in the cities of Vallebona (IM), Bordighera (IM), which are located to the south of Perinaldo, Apricale (IM), Pigna (IM), Mount Pietravecchia (1990m, Park of the Ligurian Alps, the town of Pigna), Turin and Saint-Vincent that lie north of Perinaldo.

At Perinaldo, in 2007, was created and dedicated to G.D.Cassini and the other astronomers born in Perinaldo, a large gnomon: a sundial in the darkroom, in the Church of Our Lady of the Visitation, among the largest in existence today, the first of this size made by the 800; the meridian line that runs through the church, is about 20 meters long and is a part, a millionth of the meridian that connects the two poles of the Earth through all the towns of longitude 7 ° 40 '00' 'East. The layout of this meridian called "Meridian Cassini", crosses the ancient village of Perinaldo.

Commemorative studs, placards and instruments constitute a line, extending the sundial of the Church of the Visitation, cuts the country from south to north.

Two Arc-Meridians, are placed south and north of the town. To the south, at the beginning of via Valicella, the Arc Meridian shows the direction of the meridian and its shadow is projected, at noon, upon the stud of the Cassini Meridian fixed in the ground. Inside the village the route of the meridian is marked through the alleyways with studs and signs.

North of town, the Ubago Belvedere, a few meters from the path of the meridian, an Arc, works as meridian: the sun passes through a slit and the shadow of a stylus-Earth's axis that marks the south, in the area in yellow of the amble post, where the red dots indicate points of solstices and equinoxes.

Astronomy in the streets of Perinaldo

In yellow: the paths and the areas freely available
Solar Lighthouse
Cassini Meridian, Meridian Arcs Trails:
Sun and Shadows On Meridian - Travelling with the Sun on Parallel
Perinaldo Garden of the Stars North
Garden of the Sun
Solar System Scale

In blue: Sun exposure time and visited only by appointment or special events

In green: the observatory is open in the dates indicated in the "calendar of openings", the Cassini museum is open every day during the opening hours of the Town Hall of Perinaldo (8.30 at 12 noon)