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Waterberg Planetary Festival 2009 21st, 22nd August
In Galileo's Footsteps
400 years ago a man by the name of Galileo took his newly made telescope and pointed it at the night sky. What he saw changed our understanding of the universe forever.
To celebrate this significant anniversary, the Waterberg Planetary Festival is back. We will be offering guests a chance to walk in Galileo's footsteps and see what he saw - as well as sights he could not even have dreamt of.
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Jupiter the King of the planets.
On display will be the four moons of Jupiter that were named Galilean in the great man's honour. We will explain why simply observing these dangerous objects got Galileo locked up for life. Expect to see the storms raging on this giant planet, and understand why, surprisingly, Jupiter is essential for life on earth. |
The Moon. 400 years ago Galileo saw craters and seas on the moon. 40 years ago man landed in one of them. We will show you the craters Galileo saw, and point out the lunar landing site. Along the way expect to learn some surprising facts about our closest celestial neighbour.
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The Illustrated Life Story of a Star - Galileo would have loved to know how the brilliant points of light in the night sky came to be. We will take you through the surprisingly colourful and violent life of star. Expect to see the beautiful nebulae where stars are born, and the equally colourful and dramatic explosions that end their lives. |
| Meet the Universe. Galileo had no idea how big our universe is, but do you? Our famous hands-on introduction to the size of the universe is your chance to get a grip on the vast scale of the heavens. |
| Patterns in the Sky. A guided tour of the constellations of the African sky, along with the myths behind them. |
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Going Deep. A chance to look into space at galaxies so far away their light has spent not 400 years, but 15 million years, travelling to us.
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The puzzle of Saturn. In 1610 Galileo spotted the ring system of Saturn, but in 1612 he was perplexed to watch the rings vanish. We will be fortunate enough to observe this once in 15 year event. With the glare of its rings gone, the inner secrets of Saturn's amazing moon system will be on display. Guests may get to see as many as 8 moons, including the extraordinary porous moon of Hyperion, and tantalisingly mysterious moons of Titan and Enceladus with their oceans of water. |
Our team of talented astronomers will be using the latest computer controlled telescopes together with advanced astronomical video cameras to show everyone on our big screens LIVE and in COLOUR exactly what the telescopes are seeing.
The evening will be complete with traditional bushveld hospitality and fare, and will include sundowners and snacks while being serenaded by the Boschdraai Choir, and a supper break for a warming potjie along with traditional desserts and marshmallows to roast around a fire in our boma.
Dates: 21st and 22nd August 2009
Cost: R150 per adult, R100 per child under 16, supper R50 extra.
Location: Waterberg Cottages, in the Waterberg Biosphere, Limpopo
Time: 17:30 to 20:30
Request a booking
Organising Committee chair: Dr Philip Calcott
e-mail: wpf@waterbergcottages.co.za
web: waterbergcottages.co.za
tel: 0147554425, mob: (Helen) 0769594592 , mob: (Philip) 0835522119
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