Také model noční Země, Temnalóna, má své specifika. Hvězdárna se rozhodla zobrazit světlo, které vytváří člověk a slouží k zahnání tmy. Model vychází z pozorování ze sondy Suomi, která monitoruje Zemi z výšky osmiset kilometrů. Díky tomu jsou na Temnalóně vidět lidská sídla, pouliční lampy, rybářské lodě, ale také prstence polárních září na pólech. Chybí však blesky, noční svítící oblaka a meteory.
Všechny pět objektů na Festivalu planet mají své místo před brněnskou hvězdárnou a jsou k vidění od 1. do 8. srpna. Návštěvníci si je mohou prohlédnout od 14:00 do 23:30, pokud bude příznivé počasí. V případě dobrých podmínek se večer v osm hodin uskuteční představení nové Temnalóny, které představí ředitel hvězdárny Jiří Dušek a další odborníci.
Každý z modelů představuje jedno vesmírné těleso a je vytvořen s maximální precizností. Lunalón, první model, je fotorealistický a řemeslně špičkově provedený. Terralóna zobrazuje planetu Zemi, Marsmeloun představuje Mars a Heliosféra je model Slunce. Temnalóna je pak noční model Země, který zobrazuje světlo vytvářené člověkem.
Festival planet v Brně je jedinečnou příležitostí pro návštěvníky, aby si mohli prohlédnout tyto unikátní modely vesmírných těles. Každý z objektů je důkladně promyšlený a přesně zobrazuje charakteristické rysy daného tělesa. Hvězdárna a Planetárium Brno tak nabízí nejen vzdělávací, ale i estetický zážitek pro všechny zájemce o vesmír a astronomii.Giant Moon and Sun Become a Hit in Brno This Year, Joined by Night Earth
It all started with the Moon. The Brno Observatory and Planetarium wanted to commemorate the landing of a human on a celestial body. That’s when the idea of creating a large model of the Moon came up. The observatory eventually teamed up with the Kubíček company, which specializes in manufacturing hot air balloons but was able to handle the Moon as well. Since then, a new cosmic masterpiece has been on display every summer on Kraví hora.
“We wanted to create a photorealistic, top-quality model of the Moon with a diameter of ten meters that would look beautiful both during the day and at night. Its size was chosen to be the largest possible due to technical and practical limitations. The press material had an incredible resolution of 100,000 x 40,000 pixels, and even though we had very detailed photographic maps, it was necessary to manually check each pixel and remove any defects or printing errors,” describes the Brno Observatory. The Visualove company also helped with all of this.
In short, it was not an easy task. Graphic designers and astronomers worked on the enormous Moon, fine-tuning every detail. But they succeeded, and the object was named Lunalón, a combination of the words Luna and balloon. Thousands of people came to see the inflatable Moon, and the observatory continued the tradition the following year.
Since then, a new celestial body has been added in front of the observatory every year. In 2020, it was Terralóna, a model of the Earth. Then came Mars, also known as Marsmeloun. Last year, the Sun, or Heliosféra, was added. This year, the fifth object joined the collection, and it is called Temnalóna – a model of the night side of the Earth. The observatory presented it in July, along with the regular model of the Earth, and now all five objects will return to Kraví hora.
They will be on display from August 1st to August 8th, from 2:00 PM to 11:30 PM, assuming the weather is good. This means that there should not be strong gusty winds or heavy rain. If the weather permits, at 8:00 PM, there will be a presentation of the new Temnalóna by the director of the observatory, Jiří Dušek, his colleagues Jan Píšala, and Tomáš Přibyl from the Technical Museum in Brno.
“The night side of the Earth is not black, indistinct, or static. Volcanic eruptions, polar lights, lightning, or meteors create light that is visible for milliseconds to days, even months. However, the most noticeable light is the one created by humans, which serves to dispel darkness,” explains the observatory, revealing why they decided to create a model of the night side of the Earth.
The observations from the Suomi satellite served as the basis for Temnalóna. Since 2022, the satellite has been monitoring the Earth from an altitude of 800 kilometers. It can capture individual street lamps and fishing boats. To create a perfect model, it took three weeks of observations and 312 orbits of the satellite around both poles, resulting in 2.5 terabytes of data. Thanks to this, human settlements, some highways, and heavily guarded borders are visible. The model also shows the rings of the polar lights at the poles. However, it does not include lightning, noctilucent clouds, or meteors.
And how big are these objects exactly? If a person wanted to see Lunalón in the same size as when looking up at the real Moon, they would have to stand about a kilometer away from it. A meter away from Terralóna represents how astronauts see the Earth.
All the objects at the Festival of Planets have something interesting about them. The model of Mars shows polar caps, volcanoes, and craters. The Sun is designed to highlight the ultraviolet part of the electromagnetic spectrum, allowing us to see what the human eye cannot from Earth. This includes strong eruptions and dark filaments, which are cooler solar material.
All of them are also quite popular. Last summer, the festival broke the attendance record with its space objects. “Never in the history of any of our events have so many visitors arrived,” describes the observatory. There were sixty thousand of them. How many will come this year will be revealed during the first week of August. The debate about what will be added next year is already underway.
How does Temnalóna capture the artificial light created by humans and the polar auroras in its model of the night side of Earth?
S. However, these phenomena were not included in the creation of Temnalóna. Instead, the focus was on capturing the artificial light created by humans, such as city lights, street lamps, and fishing boats, as well as the polar auroras. The model aims to depict the specific characteristics of the night side of Earth.
The Festival of Planets in Brno is a unique opportunity for visitors to appreciate these extraordinary models of celestial bodies. Each object has been meticulously crafted to accurately represent the distinctive features of the respective celestial body. The Brno Observatory and Planetarium provide an educational and aesthetic experience for all astronomy enthusiasts and anyone interested in the universe.
These inflatable cosmic models at Hvězdárna a Planetárium Brno are simply out of this world! A truly unique and spectacular way to explore the mysteries of our universe. Can’t wait to visit and be amazed by these inflatable wonders.