In July 1969, 600 million people on all continents watched a man's first step on the moon in front of a radio or television. To celebrate the 50th anniversary, the "On the Moon Again" campaign was launched by French scientists in 2019 and, due to the great success of this idea, has been carried out every year so far (except 2020 due to the Corona pandemic).
The idea behind "On the Moon Again" is that everyone who has a telescope at their disposal will take it to the streets to show the moon to other interested people and share the enthusiasm. This collaborative experience brings people of all ages and backgrounds together, making everyone a part of a large, international community of currently 60 countries and almost 600 observation sites..where the moon comes into focus at the same time.
You observe the moon together and exchange knowledge, experiences and stories about the moon and other astronomical aspects – a fulfilling way to connect with other people, nature and the vastness of space.
We as the Kosmos-OS team also took part again this year – as we have done every year since the start of the campaign – by the way, as the only location in the whole of Germany. On Friday, Saturday and Sunday evening (June 23rd, 24th and 25th 2023) we set up two telescopes and large astronomical binoculars in the so-called Nettepark. The Nettepark is an industrial area with its "green finger", which is used as a local recreation area. So many people seeking relaxation and also the local press visited us.
Most of them gladly accepted our offer to see the moon live with a telescope. The excitement and surprise was felt in everyone that it didn't take much to experience all the details on its surface. Our visitors were surprised that you could already see a lot, even though the sun had not yet set. As darkness grew, the richness of detail and enthusiasm continued to increase. Then there was Venus, which also showed a phase like the moon in the telescope – quite surprising for our visitors.
Every night, when we had packed our equipment after midnight, we drove home with the good feeling that it was a worthwhile evening for the visitors and also for us – an evening on which the moon and the universe were in focus and on which everyday life and sorrow took a back seat for at least a few hours; as it says in the film (see below): "There is something special about it... something unifying... we should look up more often!"
A few impressions from the three evenings:
