Weekend of Science 2024

The Weekend of Science will take place on 5 and 6 October 2024. On those two days you can take a look behind the scenes of science and technology all over the Netherlands. A large number of NWO institutes will open their doors. Visit the website of Weekend of Science (in Dutch only) for more information.

AMOLF, ARCNL, CWI and Nikhef: Science day Amsterdam Science Park on Saturday 5 October 2024

On Saturday 5 October from 12.00 to 17.00 is the Amsterdam Science Park Science day, for everyone between the ages of 6 and 106 who is interested in science and wants to know more about it. Take a look behind the scenes of science. Do an experiment, listen to interesting lectures, take a guided tour or visit a demonstration. Get to know the many themes and techniques being researched at Amsterdam Science Park. The Open Day Amsterdam Science Park is part of the Weekend of Science. Six organisations will participate in the Open Day: AMOLF, ARCNL, CWI, Nikhef, UVA-FNWI and SustainaLab.
View the programme on the Amsterdam Science Park Science day website.

ASTRON open day on Sunday 6 October 2024

How does a dead star sound? How do you make invisible light visible? How does a black hole work? Why can you use a radio telescope to look back in time? You can find out all these and many more interesting things during our open day on Sunday 6 October from 12.00 to 16.00 and admission is completely free. .
We are easily accessible by (electric) bike. Coming by car? You can park it on the field at Oude Hoogeveensedijk/Bosrand. We will then arrange transport to take you to us free of charge.
During the open day, you will learn all about radio astronomy. You can take part in the black-hole experiment, visit a real radio telescope and make your own pulsar (the remnant of an exploded star) and planet. Or follow one of our guided tours. We offer fun and exciting activities for young and old. Our open day is extra festive this year, as we will exist exactly 75 years in 2024! Visit the ASTRON website for more information. 

 

Text on the poster: Become a star-searching planetary explorer during the open day! Come and unravel the mysteries of the universe during a day full of fun, educational activities and attractions. Immerse yourself in the universe with exoplanets and pulsars: explore, listen and experiment! Free entrance! Where: Oude Hoogeveensedijk 4, 7991 PD Dwingeloo. When: Sunday, 6 October. What time: 12.00 to 16.00. See you then!

DIFFER open day on Saturday 5 October 2024

Come and visit DIFFER on Saturday 5 October between 12.00 and 17.00 during the Weekend of Science. Because DIFFER, that's science for future energy! At DIFFER, we work together with researchers from all over the world to research sustainable energy for the future.

How does energy actually work? Why do we want to recreate the heat of the sun (and even hotter) on earth? How do we get clean energy when the sun doesn't shine and the wind doesn't blow? Why do we need complicated computer models and make new materials?
Step into the DIFFER labs, come and do fun experiments, learn to program, be surprised by impressive stories from researchers and much more...

• When? Saturday 5 October
• What time? 12.00-17.00
• For whom? Children and adults

SRON open days on 5 and 6 October 2024

Will you also step into the world of space research with SRON Netherlands Institute for Space Research in October? We will be holding fun open days again then. On Saturday 5 October at SRON in Leiden, and on Sunday 6 October at SRON, Kapteyn Institute and NOVA in Groningen. Put them in your diary!

What do we do? With space telescopes, we look up at stars, planets and black holes. This is how we learn how they work. And from above, we also look down at the sky on our own planet Earth. This is how we see what happens to the climate. We make these telescopes at SRON, together with researchers from other countries.

What can our telescopes do? They can capture light that you cannot capture well enough from Earth. The air mixture and clouds around the earth get in the way.
These are usually special kinds of light that our eyes cannot see well. For example, X-ray light, which the doctor can also use to take a picture of your bones or teeth. Or infrared light, with which you can see hot and cold very well on Earth.

Some space viewers take overview or detail pictures. There are also viewers that can read fingerprints in light. These reveal how hot the stardust in the universe is. Where it is flying to and whether it is coalescing or exploding.
What will you learn on the open day? On the open day, we show how we do our research and how we first devise, test, and improve new sensitive scopes on Earth, and eventually make them suitable as scopes in space.

So we do tests, give demonstrations and give fun lectures. Visitors of all ages can come and learn a lot. How do you look yourself with a thermal telescope? Can you solder in the electronics lab? Is there (too) life on other planets? How do you chase greenhouse gases moving through our skies? Come and find out in Leiden and/or Groningen.

Practical information

Open Day SRON Leiden, Saturday 5 October, 11.00-16.00 

SRON building, Niels Bohrweg 4, Bio Science Park Leiden.
(Parking is available for about 2 euro per hour in the Ehrenfestgarage on Ehrenfestweg, or travel to bus stop Wassenaarseweg/Corpus or bus stop Niels Bohrweg)
In Leiden, our open day is part of Space Week and Weekend of Science.

Open Day SRON, Kapteyn, NOVA Groningen, Sunday 6 October, 12.00-17.00

Kapteynborg building, Landleven 12, Zernike Campus Groningen.In Groningen, our Open Day is part of science festival Zpannend Zernike.
In due course, also visit www.zpannendzernike.nl and click on ‘Space research’.