Punto de interés
CERGA Observatory
Recomendado por 1 persona local,
Consejos de personas locales
Paul
July 17, 2019
Watch out, this is a very special place and it's not for everybody. If you enjoy the "real" night sky, the one where you actually see the stars, meteors (shooting stars) and satellites flying above, this is the place to go. And if you are lucky, you might meet a friendly amateur astronomer who'll let you watch in their telescopes. But many people who don't own a telescope still go there, find their spot, do a picnic just before it gets dark, and then lay down and admire the most beautiful night sky of the French Riviera. There are several important things to know before: - You obviously must go there when it's night. You can only start to see the night sky sometime after 22.00. The road is quite long, around 1 hour and a half from Cannes, and the last bit of it is very wild. There is almost nobody, just lonely mountains. And when you'll go back, it will be even later, so you'll be tired. Just know that you must be really motivated to go there. - It's an actual professional observatory. There is a parking for visitors and beyond that you can walk by foot everywhere. However, before you arrive to the parking, you'll encounter a sign that says "Turn off your lights" in french, and you MUST absolutely do it! It will be very dark, so to drive the last meters you must use your yellow warning lights only. NEVER turn on your main front lights after this sign or you will create problems for everyone who is using telescopes there. Also avoid your phone flash light when you walk, unless you really, really need it. The best is to simply take the time to get used to the dark. - Weather is key. There is absolutely no reason to go there if there are clouds. The ideal weather conditions for the best night is when there are 0 clouds and no wind. - There will be absolutely nothing on the site itself. You can't access or visit the professional observatories or any of the buildings. So take everything that you need with you, water, food, etc. As said previously, your best chance is to find amateur astronomers and use their telescopes. You'll hear their telescopes thanks to the typical "buzzing" shound that amateur telescopes make when they move. Most amateur astronomers are nice and approachable and will make you look through their telescopes. - Don't confuse this place with the Observatory of Nice. Once again, this is a very special activity, so do check for yourself if it's something for you or not.
Watch out, this is a very special place and it's not for everybody. If you enjoy the "real" night sky, the one where you actually see the stars, meteors (shooting stars) and satellites flying above, this is the place to go. And if you are lucky, you might meet a friendly amateur astronomer who'll le…
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Ubicación
2130 Chemin de l'Observatoire
Caussols, Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur