During the International Dark Sky Week in the North Frisian Wadden Sea World Heritage 15 talks, tours and walks had been organized by the Lower Saxony National Park Administration in cooperation with the University of Oldenburg, the Ländliche Erwachsenenbildung Bad Zwischenahn and local National Park information centers.
Some we summarised in the following:
On the island Wangerooge on May 22nd, Andreas Hänel gave a talk in the National Park Information Centre about how to protect the night sky over the island. Later when it got darker, some of the participants inspected the artificial lighting in the village and on the beach promenade.
As the night became clear, measurements of the sky brightness could be taken in the East and West of the island, demonstrating the very good dark sky quality. To get to the measurement places a bicycle has been used.
On the next evening the National Park Information Centre offered a night walk to explain the lights (ships and lighthouses) that can be seen over the sea. Normally at the end of this walk, the night sky and the constellations will be explained, but this evening was cloud covered and no stars visible.
On the evening of May 24th, Andreas Hänel gave a similar talk at the university of Oldenburg and afterwards, Matti Gehlen showed some celestial objects with the Tiny Observatory, a mobile observatory, on the university campus.
Night Walk through the village to study the lighting (photo: A. Hänel)
Talk at the National Park Information Centre (photo: Gerrit Martens)
Talk at the National Park Information Centre (photo: Gerrit Martens)
The night walk of the National Park Information Centre on the second evening to explain the lights on the sea. (photo: A. Hänel)
The “measurement bicycle” (photo: A. Hänel)
an all-sky picture with faint red polar light/aurora on the northwestern horizon (top right) (photo: A. Hänel)
Observations at the Tiny Observatory on the (too brightly lit) parking of the university of Oldenburg (photo: A. Hänel)
Observations at the Tiny Observatory on the (too brightly lit) parking of the university of Oldenburg (photo: A. Hänel)