Impression from the 16th Southern Star Party

The 16th Southern Star Party took place last weekend in Gross Barmen. After a successful observing evening on Friday, during which visitors were able to take a first look at objects in the night sky, the event was officially opened on Saturday. Organiser Alex Arnold welcomed the guests in the conference hall. This was followed by a public talk by Prof Michael Backes, Professor of Astrophysics at the University of Namibia and Chairperson of the Namibia Scientific Society. He spoke about the almost 100-year history of astronomy in Namibia with many interesting projects such as the first astronomical observations in the country as well as the new developments such as the Africa Milimetre Telescope (AMT).

The presentation was followed by a talk by Lutz von Dewitz entitled The Star in our Solar System. After this, the audience went to the observing site to put the theory about the Sun to a test. Special solar telescopes are needed to protect the eyes when observing the Sun! These made it possible to observe the Sun with its spots and some solar storms.

Many participants used the afternoon break to relax in the hot springs before returning to the observation site in the evening. Once again, various objects were shown at different telescopes. We looked at planets like Saturn with its rings, remarkable star clusters, exciting nebulae, and impressive galaxies and we also took a close look at the Moon with its spectacular craters.