UNIVERSO in Fortezza, second edition of the Astronomy Festival

From June 14th to 16th, 2024, at the Fortezza Nuova, “Universe at Fortezza” returns, the second edition of the astronomy festival that was a great success in 2023. Organized by Alsa, Livornese Association of Astronomical Sciences active in the territory for over thirty years, the festival promotes scientific dissemination with an engaging format, aimed at a general and passionate audience, transversal in age. With the aim of exceeding the 3000 attendees from all over Italy who came to attend conferences held by science luminaries, to immerse themselves in suggestive astronomical theme exhibitions and in exciting telescope observing nights, this year there are also workshops for children and virtual reality.

Patronized by the City of Livorno and the Museum of Natural History of the Mediterranean, the event will continue to enjoy the participation of important entities, such as the European Gravitational Observatory Ego-Virgo, which contributed to the discovery of gravitational waves awarded in 2017 with the Nobel Prize in Physics, the aerospace company Kayser Italia, specialized in scientific and technological research on space platforms, the Astrophysical Observatory of Arcetri Inaf, the magazine Coelum, the immersive culture project Cultura immersiva, the theater workshop Manifattura Lizard, @TOMOSpodcast, and as a media partner, PuntoRadio.

“Humanity has always questioned its place within the universe and astronomy ignites passion and curiosity in people of all ages and cultures. The wonder that the starry sky and the fascinating beauty of the universe generate in us guide this festival where enthusiasts, children, and adults meet astronomers and astrophiles and discover the passion that animates scientific research and dissemination. This astronomy event is therefore a novelty in the Livornese territory and is part of a dissemination path of astronomy and science in general, which is part of the Alsa statute”, affirm the organizers Alessio Biondi, Daniele Righetti. And they continue: “We would like the event to continue to be held every year, creating a fixed appointment for the citizens, in order to contribute to the cultural offer in the Livornese territory and the enhancement of a structure like the Fortezza Nuova, which is a “living room” for the city”.

The astrophotography exhibition

Throughout the festival, in the Arch Room, about 50 large-format astronomical photographs taken by Alsa members of the Livornese skies will lead the visitor among celestial bodies from the moon to quasars. This is a continuation of the exhibition from the previous year and with “Images from the Universe” from 2022, which includes several unpublished shots.

The conferences

The highlight of the festival, the conferences will bring together scientists from the Ego-Virgo Gravitational Wave Observatory, researchers from the Arcetri Inaf Observatory and Kayser Italia, and cultural representatives from the astronomical magazine Coelum to delve into exciting astronomical topics such as space exploration, and will take place in the oven room during the last hours of sunlight and on the outdoor stage in the evening.

The video projections

At the same time, during the day, fascinating galaxy and nebula video projections curated by Alsa members will be shown on the walls of the tunnel to welcome visitors and continue in the oven room.

Virtual reality

In the Arch Room, some headsets will be installed that, under the supervision of specialized staff, will lead the public on an exciting immersive journey into the universe. The attraction, proposed by the startup “Cultura immersiva”, was selected among the top 5 best cultural projects by the European Union and is present in more than 10 Italian cities where it has collected, together with the Dubai expo, more than 50 thousand users. The experience, at a cost, can be booked on the project’s website www.culturaimmersiva.it.

Workshops for children

A great novelty of this year will be the extension of the dissemination proposal to children. Under the tensile structure, from 5 pm, “The constellations tell” Valentina Lisi (Manifattura Lizard) will engage the young audience with a paper theater narrative focused on the mythology of constellations. The initiative is free, recommended from 6 years old in groups of maximum 12 children, and requires booking at manifatturalizard@gmail.com.

Telescope observing nights

To close the offer in style, this year too it will be possible throughout the weekend from 9:30 pm to observe the moon, double stars, and star clusters with the powerful telescopes provided by Alsa. The results of the viewing will also be projected on the screen for attendees who want to watch, guided by the experts.

Bar and catering services

During the entire summer season, the Fortezza Nuova hosts bar and catering services. It is possible on-site, for the attendees of the event, to choose from a wide range of commercial activities that go from beverages to street food to characteristic foods for breakfasts, snacks, coffees, ice creams, snacks, aperitifs, meals, and after-dinner.

FULL PROGRAM

Friday, June 14th

6:00 pm | Opening and presentation of the festival with guests and authorities

7:00 pm | Opening of the astrophotography exhibition, oil on sail works by Paola Turio and video projections

9:00 pm | Conference “The dark side of the universe. From black holes to dark matter: exploring the unseen cosmos” with: Barbara Patricelli (Virgo researcher, UniPi), Federico Lelli (Inaf – Arcetri Astrophysical Observatory). Moderator: Vincenzo Napolano (European Gravitational Observatory)

From 9:30 pm | Telescope observation of the moon, double stars, and star clusters

Saturday, June 15th

From 10:00 am to midnight | Arch Room | Astrophotography exhibition, oil on sail works by Paola Turio and video projections

From 10:00 am to midnight | Oven Room | Video projections curated by Damiano Esposito (Alsa) with members Silvia Porciani, Virginia Gnan, Michele Scardigli, Gabriele Comandi

From 10:00 am to midnight | @TOMOSpodcast, curated by Iramar Amaral

From 11:00 am to 7:00 pm | Arch Room | Virtual reality, on paid reservation: https://culturaimmersiva.it/livorno/

From 5:00 pm to 7:00 pm | Under the tensile structure | Workshops for children, on reservation, free: manifatturalizard@gmail.com

6:00 pm | Oven Room | Conference “Does science need philosophy? Yes. And why?!” with Molisella Lattanzi (director of Coelum Astronomy) and Filippo Onoranti (philosopher)

9:00 pm | Outdoor stage | Conference “Adaptive optics: why astronomers need deformable mirrors, glass pyramids, and lasers to see the universe more clearly”. Speaker: Runa Briguglio (Inaf – Arcetri Astrophysical Observatory).

From 9:30 pm | Telescope observation of the moon, double stars, and star clusters

Sunday, June 16th

From 10:00 am to midnight | Arch Room | Astrophotography exhibition, oil on sail works by Paola Turio and video projections

From 10:00 am to midnight | Oven Room | Video projections curated by Damiano Esposito (Alsa) with members Silvia Porciani, Virginia Gnan, Michele Scardigli, Gabriele Comandi

From 10:00 am to midnight | @TOMOSpodcast, curated by Iramar Amaral

From 11:00 am to 7:00 pm | Arch Room | Virtual reality, on paid reservation: https://culturaimmersiva.it/livorno/

From 5:00 pm to 7:00 pm | Under the tensile structure | Workshops for children, on reservation, free: manifatturalizard@gmail.com

6:00 pm | Oven Room | Conference | “The immensity of the universe. From solar systems to remote galaxies” with Armado Bracci (Alsa member and former professor at the scientific high school Cecioni)

9:00 pm | Outdoor stage | Conference “Impossible measures. Cutting-edge technologies from Virgo to Space exploration” with Federico Lavorenti (Kayser), Fiodor Sorrentino (Virgo researcher, Infn). Moderator: Giada Rossi (European Gravitational Observatory)

From 9:30 pm | Telescope observation of the moon, double stars, and star clusters.