Soirée d'observation du ciel mercredi 16 décembre 2026 à 18h30

Optical and digital telescopes (EVscopes) will allow you to observe the craters and terrain of the Moon at first quarter, the season’s finest deep-sky objects—globular clusters, nebulae, double stars, or galaxies—as well as the beautiful planet Saturn and its rings, and the distant planets Uranus and Neptune.

The purchase of a ticket is final. Tickets are neither refundable nor exchangeable, except if the association has to cancel or postpone the evening because weather conditions do not allow for observation.

Organized by: ANDROMEDE Observatoire de Marseille

Andromeda is originally a constellation in the sky inspired by Greek mythology. It represents Andromeda, the daughter of King Cepheus and Queen Cassiopeia, chained to a rock. She was freed by the hero Perseus.

Since 29 January 1976, our founding date, ANDROMEDE has also stood for A ssociation N ouvelle pour la D iffusion des R echerches de l' O bservatoire de M arseille E t le D éveloppement des E xpositions. Its aim is to promote astronomy in schools and among the general public. The association has been recognized as serving the public interest since July 2025 and is therefore eligible to receive donations and bequests.

Each year, the ANDROMEDE Association introduces nearly 12000 schoolchildren to astronomy through visits to the historic Marseille Observatory, and 5000 more through its "traveling planetarium" program. It also creates themed exhibitions for all audiences every year. Its traveling exhibitions have already been shown in many venues.

It welcomes all after-school centers and groups wishing to attend a planetarium show, visit the exhibitions, and observe the sky.

For the general public, ANDROMEDE organizes lectures throughout the year with internationally renowned speakers, observing sessions through the Observatory’s historic telescope, and astronomy classes. Its 6-meter planetarium (30 seats) is open every Wednesday afternoon and during school holidays from Monday to Saturday, offering a wide range of shows and live guided sessions. The association’s planetarium, located at the historic Observatory, welcomes 15000 people a year for around 800 sessions.

ANDROMEDE takes part in major national events such as the Fête de la science, Heritage Days, and Museum Night. It also organizes special events for lunar and solar eclipses, planetary transits, and international years (physics, water, light, astronomy...).

These events have brought together thousands of participants at the Observatory site and outdoors (Luminy, Université de Provence, the town hall of the 13/14 districts...).

The association’s educators also give slide presentations in the exhibition space as part of the "introduction to astronomy" activity.

For several years now, more than 32 000 people a year, including 17 000 students and children, have benefited from activities offered and supervised by the ANDROMEDE Association.

https://www.helloasso.com/associations/andromede-observatoire-de-marseille