People involved at OAB: Marano, Parmeggiani, Zitelli, De Blasi, Di Luca.
A few years ago, the collaboration between the OAB, the Assessorato
Provinciale alla Cultura and the Loiano's council, led to the creation
of Il Parco delle Stelle. With the collaboration of a group of
astronomers, Parmeggiani and Zitelli, who are now responsible for this event,
views of the most magnificent objects of our skies are organized with the
60-cm Telescope of Loiano built in 1936. Although this Telescope
has often been modernized, it has kept its original main structure.
After using the telescope, the visitors are invited to observe
the skies without any instruments while a group of astronomers talk them
through the various stars, planets, black holes and make themselves available
to answer questions. Starting from 1998 new technologies have
been introduced to the above program, the main ones being the
multimedia-programs. Nowadays Il Parco delle Stelle is part of
Col Favore del Buio and it works very closely with the
Radio Astronomy Observatory of Medicina (Bo), the Astronomical Observatory of
S. Giovanni in Persiceto (Bo), the conference hall of the Bologna Planetarium
(primary school G. Carducci) and the Museum of Specola (Department of
Astronomy). This event has been so successful that the schedule
for the year 2001 has included 52 evening sessions with over 1.500 visitors
(over 15.000 visitors for Col favore del Buio). The 60 cm telescope can
be visited in the evenings only if reserved, the 1.52 m (G.D. Cassini) is
open to public view on the first Saturday of the month and to schools in
the morning if reserved.