Prof. Robert Roth and his team took the audience on a journey to fascinating objects in the southern sky that had previously not been observable from the TURM Observatory. Highlights of the evening included the Large Magellanic Cloud with the Tarantula Nebula, the largest and most active star-forming region in the Milky Way system, as well as the impressive Centaurus A galaxy, which was formed from the collision of an elliptical galaxy with a smaller spiral galaxy.

Another very special guest of the evening was Comet C/2025 R3 (PanSTARRS), which is currently bidding farewell to our cosmic neighbourhood and continuing on its hyperbolic trajectory into the depths of the universe.

The event highlighted just how great the interest in astronomy is across all age groups: the audience was a diverse mix, ranging from young children to long-standing astronomy enthusiasts. Despite the technical depth of the talk, it succeeded in providing even younger guests with fascinating insights into astronomy. The lively atmosphere was particularly enjoyable: throughout the talk, questions from the audience were repeatedly addressed and discussed.

Interest remained high even after the official part of the event. At the get-together that followed, discussions, questions and shop-talk continued long into the evening.

For Prof. Robert Roth and his team, this ‘First Light’ was just the beginning: the southern sky still holds many more exciting targets for observation. Stay tuned!

A heartfelt thank you goes to all visitors, helpers, the ‘Gerhard Herzberg Gesellschaft’ and everyone involved who made this special evening possible.

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