Since I’ve been working at the Csányi Foundation, solving the most difficult task as a mentor fell upon me now—with a slight exaggeration. Based on an idea from the children in my group, we came up with the plan to go watch the partial solar eclipse, and since this coincided with the most intense period of the Perseids, we were able to combine the two. However, even choosing the location for the solar eclipse was no easy task, as certain websites wrote good advice, but no one had specific location recommendations, so the day before, I scouted the terrain around Kaposvár. Since we thought of our program late, acquiring the appropriate protective glasses was not easy either, as they could not be bought anywhere in the city. Because of this, we used welding goggles and glass panes used for welding goggles for the observation. On August 12, 2026, we went to the Kaposfüred vineyard near Kaposvár before 7 PM with those who were not at camp, and we were not the only ones who found the location suitable, as dozens of people chose this spot to view the partial solar eclipse. The children were excitedly looking forward to the event, as they had never seen anything like it before, and until it began, I entertained them with my own experiences from 1999. Although the solar eclipse itself did not last long, it was very spectacular and interesting. Right after, we set off for the Zselic Starry Sky Park and tried to find a place on the large meadow next to the observatory near Kardosfa, which was not easy, as hundreds of people arrived here for stargazing. In the end, we found a spot where, lying on the ground, we were able to listen to the presentation about the starry sky, as well as excitedly await the meteor shower, and finally, in just over 2 hours, we were able to count 92 streaks of light. Armed with this year’s experiences, we have already written in our calendar that on August 2, 2027, a partial solar eclipse will again be visible in Hungary, which we will follow once more!
Máté Varga, mentor, Kaposvár Group 3
