The Parc Astronòmic del Montsec reinforces sky observation activities with three new telescopes and a radio telescope

The new equipment is part of the park’s new features for the 2025 season, which was presented today in Lleida

The program of the “Music under the Stars” cycle has also been announced, with concerts by six prominent Catalan artists including Manu Guix and Mariona Escoda

A moment from today’s presentation.

The Parc Astronòmic del Montsec (PAM), managed by Ferrocarrils de la Generalitat de Catalunya (FGC), has launched three new portable telescopes this season to reinforce sky observation activities during family night visits and before the end of the year it will launch the first radio telescope, especially important for solar observation during daytime visits since it allows you to observe bright objects such as the Sun during cloudy times. These are some of the new features of the 2025 PAM season, which were announced today at an event at the Institut d’Estudis Ilerdencs chaired by the president of Ferrocarrils de la Generalitat de Catalunya (FGC), Carles Ruiz Novella, and in which the director of the Tourism Board of the Diputació de Lleida, Juli Alegre Alcàzar, and the director of the Institut d’Estudis Ilerdencs, Andreu Vàzquez Romero, also participated.

The director of the PAM, Salvador Ribas Rubio, detailed the main new features, including the poster for the “Música sota les Estrelles” cycle, which is now in its 15th edition, as well as the option, for the first time, to reserve tickets with a gift voucher. The event was also attended by the director and deputy director of Business and Structure of FGC Turisme, Enric Serra Teixidor and David Ros Sánchez, respectively.

The president of FGC highlighted the role of territorial cohesion played by FGC tourist operations. “Mountain resorts, tourist trains, such as the Tren dels Llacs in the case of Lleida, and the Parc Astronòmic del Montsec, which is the best astronomy dissemination center in the world, help us generate opportunities, jobs, economic activity and establish a population.” For Ruiz, “the new instruments for sky observation that we have incorporated into the Parc Astronòmic and all the activities that take place in this center help us strengthen this role.”

The three new portable Dobson telescopes, 30 centimeters in diameter, are available to visitors for direct visual observations of the sky during night visits so that the view of the planets and the Moon can be enjoyed better. These telescopes are in addition to the fixed telescopes located in the domes and which, through cameras, allow us to observe those objects that our eyes cannot see.

Els tres nous telescopis.

Another important development in the field of sky observation will be the launch, before the end of the year, of the first PAM radio telescope. The incorporation of this infrastructure is one of the winning projects of last year’s FGC Participatory Budgets. With the participatory budgeting process, Ferrocarrils involves and makes the company’s different interest groups, both internal and external, protagonists in the decision on a part of its investment budget.

The radio telescope, which is in the final phase of the tender, is 3 meters in diameter and will be installed in the PAM Telescope Park, which is the space reserved for observing the sky, both night and day. It consists of three buildings with astronomical domes and space for the installation of the Astronomical portable telescopes.

The new radio telescope will allow the sky to be observed in other energy ranges, even with clouds, and will be especially useful for solar observation during daytime visits. A radio telescope allows the sky to be observed with a type of light different from visible light: radio waves. It allows the most intense objects to be observed both day and night and even in adverse weather conditions.

“Music under the Stars” cycle

During the presentation, the program of the “Music under the Stars” cycle for 2025 was also announced. This successful proposal, the result of the collaboration with the Institut d’Estudis Ilerdencs, the Diputació de Lleida and the Casa de la Música Terres de Lleida – Orfeó Lleidatà will offer once again a unique fusion of astronomy and live music at the Ull del Montsec planetarium.

The concert schedule for this season, which will be held from June 22 to November 15, will feature the performance of six prominent Catalan artists, including Manu Guix (September 13), with pop music concerts, or Mariona Escoda (June 22), who will present her repertoire in acoustic format. The remaining concerts will feature Juls (July 19), Kelly Isaiah (August 30), Olga Zoet (October 11) and Judit Neddermann & Pau Figueres (November 15).

Isaiah durant la seva actuació.

Precisely, one of the talents on this year’s line-up, Kelly Isaiah, has offered during today’s presentation a musical taste of the artistic quality that can be experienced at the Parc Astronòmic under the starry sky. Tickets to this cycle include access to the park’s activities and are now available on the website parcastronomic.cat. More information about the cycle and all the artists who will perform is detailed in this monograph.

Featured events

In terms of events, one of the most outstanding in 2025 will be the celebration of the centenary of Assumpció Català Poch, the first female astronomy professor in the State, specifically at the University of Barcelona, ​​and the first woman to obtain a doctorate in Mathematics (UB, 1970). After the initial event that was held in February at the UB, the PAM, which has its largest telescope named after Català, will host the central event on July 14, coinciding with the day of her birth.

The centenary of the Catalan Assumption is part of the Government’s commemorations for 2025, which annually decides on the events and personalities that will be commemorated by the Generalitat de Catalunya. The aim is to highlight, recover and disseminate the memory of these events and personalities that have left their mark on the collective heritage of Catalans.

In addition to this event, this year’s Astronomy Festival, now in its 11th edition, will be dedicated to the Catalan astronomer. The festival, which will be held in October, will include daytime and nighttime activities for all audiences under the impressive Montsec sky.

Giving the Montsec sky as a gift and a new children’s film

This year, the Parc Astronòmic is offering a new way to enjoy the Montsec sky by activating a gift voucher system with which you can book tickets without a date, thus offering a more convenient and flexible way to give the Montsec sky experience as a gift. The recipient of the voucher will be able to redeem it through the PAM’s web sales platform to choose the day and time of their visit.

And as activities for the whole family, this year the film “Hazelnuts – In Search of the Perfect Planet” was released, a 3D space adventure where two squirrels travel through space in search of “super hazelnuts” and discover the importance of our planet Earth. This production, which has won six international awards, is ideal for the little ones.

The Astronomical, an international reference

The Parc Astronòmic del Montsec has consolidated its reputation as an international reference in the field of astronomy and the protection of the dark sky. In 2020 it was recognized with the International Starlight Award for Excellence in Astronomy Education and Dissemination, adding to other recognitions such as the Platinum Dark Sky Ambassador awarded by the International Astronomical Union in 2019. In addition, the Montsec mountain range obtained the double certification of Starlight Reserve and Tourist Destination in 2013, being the second place in the world to obtain this recognition, endorsed by UNESCO. Currently, the Park continues its work of promoting astronomy, reinforcing its informative and research mission and its commitment to preserving the sky against light pollution.