Galactic prize:

A breathtaking night under the stars

Breathtaking stargazing was on offer at the observatory in the "lightless" Martinsberg.

(Bild: Molnar Attila/Attila Molnar)

"A Milky Way like back then" was the hope for the winners of the "Krone" competition at the Martinsberg Astronomical Center in the Waldviertel. And this time, the plan worked out perfectly: A starry night in the little light-polluted Oed awaited the 50 or so readers who were chosen as the lucky winners. 

Martinsberg is located where you can still see the universe clearly in our latitudes. And also because the dedicated team at the Waldviertel Observatory, led by Michael Jäger, wholeheartedly wants to awaken people's enthusiasm for space, the "Krone" invited 25 lucky winners to an exclusive evening in the far north of Lower Austria, who were selected from more than 1,800 participants.

Special night for the Waldviertel region too
This time, the winners were particularly lucky, as the 50 or so participants were able to see star clusters, the remains of exploding stars, the birth nebulae of new planets and the very "sharp-edged" Saturn on a particularly clear night thanks to the weather. But let's let the pictures do the talking: 

In addition to the breathtaking insights, there were also fascinating lectures on the celestial bodies and their constellations, which were repeatedly underpinned with humorous details and image and video material. Many of the winners said enthusiastically: "We'll definitely come back here! We didn't realize that the universe could be so fascinating."