This week I took full advantage of the fact that I started the week on the doorstep of one of the two largest optical telescopes in the world with a visit to the telescope and an evening of stargazing. The remainder of the week I spent very near the coast at Knysna and George before heading for Cape Town and the Science Centre there.On the Friday evening I headed up to the observatory for a stargazing session, taking advantage of the exceptionally clear skies at Sutherland. I, and the rest of the public group, were able to make use of the 16″ and a 19″ reflector telescopes set up for the purpose.
The next day I unpacked the van (bakkie) and tried to get rid of the dust that had got just about everywhere as a result of my 200 km drive over dirt roads. I made the mistake of washing the outside of the bakkie too. It was a mistake because later that day the heavens opened and my efforts were negated.
The primary mirror of SALT
Once I had finished the bakkie I headed back to the SAAO for a tour of the Southern African Large Telescope. It was an awesome experience. The primary mirror is made up of hexagonal sections which are regularly aligned using a laser system so that they form a perfect spherical surface. The mirror can be rotated on its axis but the angle is fixed. The neat trick (and I use that term advisedly) that is used to track stars is that the camera is moved so as to track the stars as their apparent positions move.
Sunday was spent editing and making videos. I hope those that are following the video diaries are able to appreciate the effort that goes into these! The next day I performed lasers and sound shows at the other school in Sutherland, and we also made spectroscopes. After checking my email at the community WiFi hotspot I set off on the long drive to Knysna.
The drive took me through the mountains to the coastal plain. There was a distinct change in the air: the humidity was distinctly higher once I got over the mountains. As luck would have it I was not far from George when my GPS gave up. It was obviously not charging properly, but I was about 90 minutes from my destination and I didn’t know where I was going. I followed signs to George and then decided to get my phone GPS going.
The difficulty with the phone GPS was that I don’t have a bracket so I could not just glance at it to see the direction I should go in. When I was about five minutes away from the Guest House I took a left turn which proved to be one street too soon. Unfortunately, instead of turning me back, the GPS decided to find a way around. I ended up 13 km up the road on a mountainside hugging dirt road before I noticed that I was going to have to make a U-turn.
Fortunately I made it safely in the end. The next day I performed Kitchen Chemistry and Science of Sound at Oakhill Primary in Knysna. After which I went for lunch at the mouth of the lagoon and also a quick dip in at a beach that was also recommended to me. I was invited to an evening barbecue by one of the teachers and then I drove to George, which is not far down the coast.
The moon over George
The drive to George was uneventful and I stopped to try to take photos of the sickle moon over George. One night in George was followed by two shows at Blanco Primary school. Then I set off for Cape Town, where I was due to appear at the Science Centre.
Once again there was a long drive to Cape Town. The only event to report was that I was pulled over to have my driving licence checked at a police checkpoint. It seemed to be a routine, random inspection as a whole line of cars were being checked.
At Cape Town Science Centre I did workshops and shows for home learners and the general public respectively. I was busy on both Friday and Saturday. On Saturday evening I picked up my family from the airport as they had joined me for their half term holiday, but that is another story…
#KCT2013
Kitchen Chemistry on tour 