Summer 2022 in the Pays de Brest: every Tuesday, go to Saint-Renan to observe the sky - Saint-Renan

During the summer, until the end of August, stargazing evenings, free and open to all, take place every Tuesday evening in Saint-Renan, from 9.30 p.m. The club of amateur astronomers Pégase ( Secular Association of Saint-Renan), welcomes initiates, neophytes or curious people, to the observatory of Kerzouar, located near the old college. “Since the creation of the club in 1990, our objective has been to be able to make astronomy accessible to everyone with educational sessions”, explains Ronan Perrot, the manager of Pégase.

The Kerzouar observatory, located rue de Kerzouar, in Saint-Renan, with its dome 4 m in diameter, does not go unnoticed. During the summer, it becomes the meeting place for lovers of the stars.

“We are here to answer all questions”

Before nightfall, the public is first gathered for a mini-conference to popularize and explain the solar system, the birth, life and death of stars, the Big Bang, etc. Then, with telescopes, the group observes space, the sky, the moon and its craters, the different planets like Mars, Jupiter, Saturn with its rings and its satellite Titan, etc. “We are here to answer all questions, in a spirit of sharing our knowledge. If the weather is favorable, we can also see comets or shooting stars”. Since 2019, the dome has been equipped with a telescope with a 400 mm mirror, one of the largest associative observation telescopes in Finistère and one of the most powerful in Brittany. “We can capture more light and thus observe more distant celestial objects.”

Three special days in August

For the “Nuits des Étoiles”, Pégase offers observation evenings on August 5, 6 and 7, at 9 p.m. “It’s the best time of year to observe shooting stars with clear skies, enjoying a cool moment after the heat of the day. And this month of August is home to the most beautiful rain of the year of shooting stars, which are called the Perseids”.