VISIT TO TORUN

On Wednesday 10 we went to Torun , the biggest city in the region, famous as the birthplace of Nicolas Copernicus.

Before reaching the city, we went to the astronomical observatory at Piwnice. Here we could see two huge radio telescopes, instruments used to detect radio emissions from the sky, whether from natural celestial objects or from artificial satellites. They're sort of large dish antennae that detect and focus radio waves. Then our guide, an energetic scientist, showed us some very powerful telescopes: we could see some solar spots and also a star which is bout 40 light-years. It was a great experience!

After that we reached the old town centre of Torun . In the main square stands the monument dedicated to Copernicus and, after a quick lunch, we all went on a guided tour of the city: the gothic cathedral, fountains, squares, the old city walls, the university a view on the river Vistula, old building from XV century, the house where Copernicus was born… everything was interesting and attractive, including the gingerbread biscuits, typical local product, that we all decided to buy as souvenir.

At the end of the day, we watched a scientific performance at the Planetarium: about galaxies, stars and planets, and a history of the development of our planet earth. When we went back home, we were very tired, but enlightened by the stars!

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