Astro Bar and cyanotype at the top of Copenhagen

Get inspired by the astronomical educators at the Round Tower and create your own celestial motifs using cyanotype printing while enjoying a drink and the city’s finest views in the evening sun.

On 20 August, we are once again hosting Astro Bar at the top of the Round Tower. As always, the evening will feature drinks in the rooftop bar, music, sunset views over the city (depending on the weather), and the opportunity to learn more about the universe from the tower’s astronomers. This time, however, there is something extra special: guests will also have the chance to create their own celestial images in beautiful shades of blue using the historic photographic printing technique known as cyanotype.

Sunlight creates the blue tones

The distinctive blue hues of cyanotype prints are produced through a combination of chemicals and sunlight, making the top of Copenhagen the perfect place to try it out. The technique is simple: a light-sensitive solution is applied to paper or fabric and, when exposed to sunlight or UV light, reveals the image.

The workshop will be led by Mai-Britt Amsler, a graphic designer and illustrator trained at the Danish School of Design, who has extensive experience teaching techniques such as screen printing and cyanotype. She will guide guests through the process, ensuring that everyone can take part, regardless of experience level.

Look at the sun—or at art

On the viewing platform, the tower’s astronomers will be guiding visitors in observing the Sun through a specially filtered telescope. They will also be available to answer questions about the cosmos throughout the evening.

Further down in the tower, guests can visit the current exhibition, Refractions of Ice, which explores ice crystals from the Greenland Ice Sheet under polarized light. Visitors can also learn more through this year’s introductory exhibition, Ole Rømer and the Great Discovery, which tells the story of Ole Rømer and his groundbreaking measurement of the speed of light.

Drop by for a drink or a conversation

Astro Bar is, first and foremost, a relaxed evening event with drinks and sunset views. The astronomy activities and cyanotype workshop are complimentary offerings, but participation is entirely optional. Please note that this is not a children’s event (keep an eye on our programme, for example during the autumn school holidays, for cyanotype workshops designed for children and families).

No advance registration is required for Astro Bar, so bring a friend, partner, colleague, or cousin and join us at the tower for an extraordinary evening. Please be aware that queues and waiting times may occur if maximum capacity is reached, both for entry to the tower and for participation in the cyanotype workshop.

Please note

• Bringing your own food and drinks into the tower is not permitted.
• Smoking is not allowed on the observation platform.
• If weather conditions do not permit outdoor activities, the event will be moved indoors

As the observatory has not yet fully reopened, the evening’s astronomy activities will take place without the observatory’s historic telescope. Instead, observations will be conducted using the specially equipped mobile telescope mentioned above.