850 visitors at SRON Open Days 2026

Two Open Days

SRON held two open days, on Saturday 26th of October in Leiden, and on Sunday the 4th of October, together with the Kapteyn Institute, in Groningen. In total, more than 850 people, young and old, visited us on these days.

Scientific space research

At our locations, we introduced people to our scientific space research and also showed them how we provide the instruments needed to conduct that research.

Earth's atmosphere, black holes, stars, planets

This includes our research into gas emissions in our Earth’s atmosphere, but also into supermassive black holes, the birth of stars, and the search for a second Earth and other distant exoplanets.

Een onderzoeker zwaait met zijn hand. Een detector kan dat dwars door verduisterende schermen heen toch detecteren en op een scherm zichtbaar maken. — Onderzoeker Stephen Yates demonstreert de gevoeligheid van KID detectoren.

Technology and instruments

In addition to this research, we also discussed our technological research: how we are already developing technology for the future. And what more we need to design and build in order to get that technology into space instruments in the future.

Science for children

The programme included a wonderful science section for children. Future astronomers and earth scientists, who will later be able to use our technology, soldered satellites and enjoyed ice creams cooled with liquid nitrogen. They also learned a lot: in the planetarium, from astrochemist Doctor Dust, and as candidate-optical engineer at the laser puzzle.

Een kindje verschuift een prisma, zodat rode laserstralen op een detector worden gemikt. — De laser puzzel.

Mensen drommen voor een stand van SRON op de drukke ESTEC open dag. — Drukte voor de stand van SRON en het Nebula Xplorer project.

SRON in the NL Space Pavillion at ESA/ESTEC

Thousands more visitors came to the open day at ESA/ESTEC in Noordwijk. We were also able to welcome many of them to our stand in the NLSpace pavilion.

Thanks to open day partners

We would like to thank all our open day partners, such as our close neighbours with whom we collaborated for the open days: the Kapteyn Institute and NOVA-group in Groningen and the Leiden Instrument Makers School in Leiden (LIS). Many thanks also to the organisers of NL Space Week, the Groningen science festival Zpannend Zernike, and Weekend van de Wetenschap. And last but not least guest hosts that added extra fun activities to the programmes.

See you next year?

To everyone who was there, or who should experience it one day: see you next year, in early October!