La 3ème Dimension at Nuit des Étoiles 2026, at the Cité de l’espace
On Friday, August 7, 2026, the Cité de l’espace in Toulouse opens its doors for an evening event for Nuit des Étoiles (Night of the Stars), organized by the French Astronomy Association around the theme “From nights of stars to the night of the Star.” Sky watching, workshops, shows, and above all the Perseids — the most spectacular meteor shower of the year.
La 3ème Dimension will be there to run a workshop.
Workshop: Build your own telescope
How does a simple refractor let you observe the stars? On the Belvédère d’Ariane, kids and adults assemble a “telescope” step by step and discover the role each lens plays in forming the image.
Open to everyone, recommended from age 6. Ongoing, drop-in access all evening — no booking required.
The rest of the program
The evening is packed, with plenty of free, drop-in activities in the gardens and inside the Astralia building:
- Sky observation with telescopes (gardens), with Planète Sciences Occitanie
- The Astronomer’s Dome: observing the Sun magnified up to 20 times
- “Sun Earth, Moon” activity and “Tales and legends”
- “Make your own sky map” workshop
- “Invitation au vertige” show (aerial circus, Terrain Martien) at 9:15pm, 10:15pm, and 11:15pm
- Astronomy quiz, lightsaber demonstration, Méliès’ short film A Trip to the Moon
Some sessions (IMAX, Planetarium, Stellarium) require separate online registration, subject to availability.
Practical information
- Date: Friday, August 7, 2026
- Hours: 8:30pm – 12:30am (last admission at 11:45pm)
- Price: free, but online registration is mandatory for every participant, regardless of age
- Registration opens: Monday, July 20 at 10am
- Location: Cité de l’espace, avenue Jean Gonord, 31500 Toulouse, France
The full program and registration are available on the event’s official page: cite-espace.com.
If you’re in Toulouse that evening, come build your own refractor with us on the Belvédère d’Ariane!