Astronomy Night in Engolasters Spotlights Venus and Human Spaceflight

FEDA Cultura's Nits d'Estiu programme features an astronomy evening on Friday, highlighting Venus alongside talks on human spaceflight.

The event at Casa dels Guardes in Engolasters begins at 8.45pm with a presentation titled "Astronàutica: l'ésser humà a l'espai" by the Detrás del Cielo team. Experts will address whether humanity is ready to return to the Moon, emerging challenges in space exploration, and the shape of future missions beyond Earth.

As darkness falls, attendees can peer through telescopes at the Moon's surface and Venus, the solar system's second planet and one of the brightest objects visible from Earth. Specialists will outline the features of both bodies and trace space exploration from early missions to today's projects.

Engolasters' low light pollution makes it one of Andorra's prime spots for night-sky viewing, a draw for the Nits d'Estiu series over recent years. Past editions have covered Perseid meteors, eclipses, supermoons, constellations, and other celestial events that generate strong interest.

The session bolsters Andorra's push into astronomical tourism, a growing sector. On 12 August, La Massana—a Starlight destination—will host a major celebration during a partial solar eclipse, a rare event not seen under similar conditions in the Principat for over a century.

Participation is free but requires advance booking by emailing fedacultura@feda.ad due to limited capacity.