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Looking at the stars and the earth’s depths

The MarSEC or Marana Space Explorer Centre

Gabriella Bernardi
5 min read6 days ago
Photo by MarSEC

It is not unusual for me to visit Planetariums or Astronomical Observatories in Italy or abroad, but this is the first time I have seen one with a cave attached.

This is a real peculiarity, discovered by chance during the construction work of the observatory itself. It is very fascinating for speleological groups, the only ones who can descend inside it.

Despite this, for us mere mortals, it is a peculiarity we can use to descend back in time. In fact, if you walk along the outer side that runs along the Marana Space Explorer Centre or MarSEC, in front of the narrow entrance to the cave, you will find a line that runs the entire length of the cave, interspersed with several small coins.

All this has not been included at random, but are milestones, marking the geological history of the Earth, with particular reference to an event contemporary with the age of the rocks that make up the path.

This catastrophic event, the meteorite that decreed the end of the dinosaurs, is artistically recalled by a work placed to great effect at the bottom, an enormous eye, that of a dinosaur, and reflected on its pupil, the meteorite’s arrival.

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Gabriella Bernardi
Gabriella Bernardi

Written by Gabriella Bernardi

Gabriella Bernardi is a science journalist and author based in Turin, Italy. Here her science blog https://astrocometal.blogspot.com/

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