Even though it doesn't look like it in the photos, it was already an almost balmy spring evening – and this was at the end of February! As early as the afternoon, our WhatsApp group was buzzing with comments like, "The sky looks fantastic – I hope it stays that way tonight!" It was truly unbelievable. Could we really be in luck this time after all those weeks of bad weather, including completely overcast skies?

It doesn't look like it in the photos, but at least 12 visitors came to the Vosslinke event at Piesberg – even though we had to postpone this special occasion by a day at very short notice due to the bad weather the day before. The range of visitors this time was broad, from elementary school children to visitors in their prime. The 6:30 pm start time is well-suited for families with elementary school-aged children. The later times, however, are less suitable: "It was very nice, but we probably won't be back until autumn. Our children just can't manage the later start time in spring," as one mother explained to us. It's a shame, but unfortunately, we can't do anything about the longer days. We can only explain them.

Overall, it was a truly wonderful time stargazing. The sky remained fantastic – with only occasional cirrus clouds – despite the proximity to Osnabrück and its light pollution. As darkness fell, a magnificent canopy of stars unfolded, complete with a crescent moon and Jupiter. And through our various telescopes: the moon – brilliant; Jupiter with its ballet of four Galilean moons – mysterious; and distant double stars of different colors – impressive.

Those of us who were there with their telescopes were: Werner, Wilhelm, Olaf, Gerold, Achim.

Einhellige Meinung zum Ende der Sternstunde: Astronomie macht Spaß – denjenigen, denen wir die Sterne gezeigt haben und uns, die wir unsere Begeisterung teilen konnten.

Impressions

(The photos were taken by Werner Wöhrmann.)