Report on a visit to the International Telescope Meeting Vogelsberg (ITV)
from Monday, 26.05.2025 to Saturday, 31.05.2025

Experiencing astronomy isn't just about gazing at the stars. As with many other activities, exchanging ideas with others who share a common interest is a significant motivating factor. Specially organized astronomy gatherings are the best way to do this. These bring together everyone who shares a passion for space.

So, on Monday, May 26, 2025, the four of us - Werner, Thomas, Gerold, and Burkhard - set out from various locations in and around Osnabrück toward Lake Gedern in the Vogelsberg Mountains, where the ITV was taking place at the campsite on the shores of the lake. Admittedly, this close to the summer solstice, the dark phase of the night is quite short. However, the weather is usually better. The emphasis here, however, is on "usually," as we had to contend with many clouds, some rain, and even thunderstorms.

But it was enough for 1.5 nights of observation! From about 11:30 p.m., it was dark enough, and the Milky Way was not only visible from horizon to horizon, but clearly visible. Since Gedern is about 2° further south than Osnabrück, the Scorpius even managed to rise far enough above the horizon that Antares was clearly visible. And all the other beautiful summer constellations! As darkness began to fall, Mars and the Moon were also visible, although the latter was fortunately not yet too bright.

We managed to capture several images of celestial objects, some of which are still undergoing complex processing. The long-awaited nova in the constellation of Corona Northern was also observed. However, there are still no signs of an impending eruption. Of course, the solar observations we conducted during the day should not be forgotten either. The sun, which is currently particularly active, showed us numerous prominences and sunspots, which even led to strong auroral activity a few days later.

On Saturday, it was time to head back home. Fortunately, we were able to finish dismantling our "camp" before the severe thunderstorms that had been forecast. Upon arriving home, we agreed that this probably wasn't our last astro meeting.