On Saturday, October 4, 2014, from 11 AM to 6 PM at the “M. Ceccarelli” Visitor Center in Medicina (BO), the fiftieth anniversary of the Croce del Nord radio telescope (pictured) of the University of Bologna will be celebrated.
The instrument, inaugurated in October 1964, marked the birth of Italian radio astronomy and contributed to the advancement of knowledge about the Universe and the acquisition of new technological skills.
The initiative, free and open to the public of all ages, will be an opportunity to discuss revolutions in the scientific and technological fields, with “Visible Progress”: examples of technologies that represented the forefront in the early years of radio astronomy development and their modern counterparts, also used at an amateur level and fairly easily available on regular markets.
During the event, there will be contributions from Stelio Montebugnoli (Engineer, former head of the Medicina Radio Astronomy Station), Pietro Greco and Lorenzo Pinna (science journalists).
For the occasion, the “M. Ceccarelli” Visitor Center is also getting a makeover. On October 4, the new setup will be presented to the public and institutions: a new graphic design, an exhibition divided into four thematic areas, new interactive exhibits, and multimedia stations.
Throughout the day, it will be possible to take guided tours of the Croce del Nord, attend planetarium shows and 3D short film screenings on radio astronomy, experiment with amateur radio and optical equipment, and for the little ones, participate in educational workshops at Aia Cavicchio.
Additionally, on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the Croce del Nord, the Italian Radio Amateurs Association, Bologna section “G. Sinigaglia I4BBE,” will activate the special call sign II4CDN (Croce del Nord) from October 1 to December 31, 2014, and will print a special QSL card.