Black Hole Friday 2026: An Evening Dedicated to Black Holes

Friday, November 27, 2026 – from 9:00 PM to 11:00 PM Saint-Barthélemy, Loc. Lignan, Nus (Aosta Valley)

Inspired by the #BlackHoleFriday initiative promoted by NASA, the US space agency, researchers active in Saint-Barthélemy will explain the main characteristics of these astronomical bodies thanks to an original show at the Lignan Planetarium, traveling through space-time curvatures and wormholes, and a guided night visit with themed sky observation, using the telescopes of the Educational Terrace of the Astronomical Observatory of the Autonomous Region of Aosta Valley.

We will thus discover that there are different sizes of black holes, from stellar-mass ones, remnants of a star that imploded on itself, to intermediate-mass ones discovered thanks to gravitational waves, up to the supermassive black holes hosted in the nuclei of galaxies. Do not worry, they are all at a safe distance from Earth, so we do not run the risk of being swallowed by a black hole — at least for now!

Online booking is mandatory at https://www.oavda.it/**planetario-prenotazioni** until available spots are exhausted. Select first the date of interest, November 27, 2026, then the item Black Hole Friday 2026, and finally fill out the online form granting consent for the processing of personal data.

Required contribution for each shift:

• Full (18-99 years): € 15.00
• Junior (7-17 years): € 9.00
• Children (0-6 years): free
• People with disabilities, holding the European Disability Card or similar documentation: free
• Companion, maximum one per person with a disability with certified need for accompaniment: free

In case of bad weather that prevents sky observation, the special event is confirmed, proposing an alternative activity (for example, a guided visit to the facility or guided observation of the digital sky at the Lignan Planetarium).

Those who have booked must purchase the regular ticket by going to the ticket office, located in the reception of the Lignan Planetarium, and open from 30 minutes before the start of activities until 10 minutes after. Payment is made on site, also with bank card or credit card.

Further logistical indications are indicated on the booking site pages and in the email message sent to participants at the time of booking (check the "Spam" folder as well).

The program may undergo changes due to force majeure. To be promptly informed of any variations, we invite you to visit the website, subscribe to the newsletter, and follow us on social channels.

The Astronomical Observatory and the Planetarium have received the Certificate of Excellence 2016, 2017, 2018 and 2019 and the Travellers’ Choice award 2021, 2022, 2023 and 2024 from TripAdvisor.

Press release from Osservatorio Astronomico della Regione Autonoma Valle d’Aosta. Content translated and formatted by the editorial team.