"Krone" winner

Watch shooting stars together

The large telescope also made it possible to see the craters of the moon.(Bild: Molnar Attila)

Shining stars and faces: The "Krone" raffled off (glimpses of) the starry sky with the Martinsberg Astronomical Center. The Perseids made the balmy summer night perfect.

The winners of the "Krone" Perseids Night at the Martinsberg Astronomical Center (AZM) experienced an unforgettable night on Sunday evening. 50 participants were lucky enough to be able to observe dozens of shooting stars from the Perseids on a clear, balmy summer night. The particularly dark sky in the Upper Waldviertel provided the perfect backdrop for this spectacle. Up to 30 shooting stars were counted by midnight, moving across the sky at an incredible speed.

The "Krone" reader family will probably never forget the Perseidennacht.(Bild: Molnar Attila)

The highlight of the evening was not just the flashing of the Perseids. The participants were able to see the moon craters in high resolution through the large telescope. The view of Saturn was also particularly spectacular. The planet's majestic ring appeared in a rare edge-on position, making it particularly impressive. Four of its moons were also clearly visible. Another highlight of the night was the Milky Way, which stretched across the entire sky as a luminous band. The visitors - accompanied and informed by AZM chairman Michael Jäger and his team - were visibly impressed by the night. Some stayed until after midnight.

 The Milky Way in all its glory
The expectations of the "Krone" winners were already high in the run-up to the event. Daniela Heidenreich from Leiben explained that she has been interested in the stars since she was young: "My uncle showed me the Big and Little Dipper. But today was my first time at an observatory." Only her wish to see 100 shooting stars did not quite come true. Ernst Ortmair from Pottenbrunn wanted to observe the Milky Way in all its glory: "I often look at the stars from my deckchair in the garden at home. But there's not much going on in the sky." It was different in the Waldviertel.