Twelve-week Durban astronomy course to unlock the stars

ASK an astronomer about his subject and you usually receive a barrage of technical terms and mathematical formulae that will drive away even the keenest enquirer.

Yet the heavens are freely available, making astronomy an inexpensive pastime for n a mission to make astronomy accessible

On a mission to make astronomy accessible, the Astronomical Society of SA Durban branch is hosting a 12-week course to unlock the stars, starting next Tuesday, 12 March.

Attempting to remove the mysteries of the heavens and make astronomy readily available to everyone, they have devised a series of 12 mini lectures designed to be understood by everybody, regardless of age or education. The lectures will be held weekly on Tuesday evenings at St Henry’s Marist College. The lectures will enable participants to find their way through the skies at night. The course will take one on a journey from the Earth through the atmosphere into the solar system and beyond; first into interstellar space to the nearest stars and onwards to the edge of the galaxy into intergalactic space in an attempt to bring the entire universe into the realm of lay people.

All the celestial objects that one would encounter on the journey such as meteors, asteroids and comets, the moon and other satellites, neighbouring planets, nebulae, constellations and galaxies will be laid bare to unravel the seemingly mysterious universe.

Logan Govender, media director for the society said: “We teach rank amateurs a method of identifying 200 celestial objects in just 40 minutes. That is just the first step to discovering the universe. We also teach people how to make a simple home-made telescope making using materials available from a local hardware store”.

All are welcome, but seats are limited to the first 50 applicants in order to ensure personal attention. The cost is R200. If you are interested, contact Claire Odhav on 083-395-5160.