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Do
meteorites exist?
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We
called on a landowner of a saltpan close to the Kalahari Gemsbok Park in
the Northern Cape, and explained that we would like his permission to
search the pan for meteorites - rocks from space.
“Do
they really exist?” he asked. After
leading a number of unsuccessful expeditions, I wondered about that
myself.
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Lights
in the sky
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I
showed my Mum a view through the telescope at the Observatory.
“What
are those little lights in the sky?” she asked.
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Solar
Eclipse
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Following
the June 2001 total solar eclipse visible from Lusaka, Zambia, I took my
plastic eclipse glasses on a visit to my parents in Natal.
I showed them how to look through the glasses and offered them to
a neighbour. She put on the
glasses, looked at the Sun and enquired “Is that the Moon?”
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Aliens
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One
of the most common questions asked at skyshows is “Can you seen the
aliens?”
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Moon
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While
showing the sky at the Observatory, I noticed the security guard walk
past and invited him to look through the telescope.
Once he had seen what it was pointed at, he asked to see the
Moon, which unfortunately had already set.
“Sometimes
the Moon is full, sometimes this half, and then that half. What happens
to the Moon when it is not full?”
He told me his teacher had told the class that when the Moon is
not full, parts of it have gone away.
“Is
this true?” he asked
An
insightful question for someone exposed to such a poor education.
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End
of the World
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In
the Nineties, there was a magnificent solar halo caused by upper
atmosphere ice crystals. The
Planetarium was inundated with calls about it.
One drafted telephone answerer told a little old lady that the
Sun had gone nova and we only had a few hours to live before the shock
wave hit us….
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Solar
Eclipse
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I
was talking to my Mum about the Solar Eclipse.
She asked if it would happen during the day.
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Naming
a star after a girlfriend
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Dear
Trevor
For
my sins, I work with an endangered species - the Romantic Man!
He wants to have a celestial star named after his girlfriend for
her birthday. He has some recollection that this is possible - any clues
as to its possibility and the logistics of it all?
Hi
[name changed to protect the innocent],
It's
good to know that there are at least two of us.
Naming
of stars after girlfriends:
[1]
He can send me US$10 000 and I will call any star of his choice
"Hilda*" in future. He
can select to replace "Hilda*" with any name later on, given
the changeability of girlfriends.
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Solar
Eclipse
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During
the Solar Eclipse in South Africa in December 2002, one participant
asked about how the eclipse occurs. When it was explained that the Moon moves in front of the
Sun, she exclaimed “But how could it occur - the Moon would be new and
a tiny sliver!”
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Mars
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In
2003 Mars passed closest to the Earth in recorded history: a number of
people asked for the exact time of the close approach, so they could go
outside and watch Mars pass by.
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Stargazing
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I
held a stargazing evening at my home some years ago.
To assist with retention of night vision, all the lights were
out. Later, at the
Observatory, I was approached by a young lady, who asked if I was Trevor
Gould. When an affirmative
was given, she responded “Is that what you look like with the lights
on?” All conversation
promptly ceased.
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Lunar
Eclipse
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I
asked the family whether they would like to watch a total lunar eclipse
with me in the early hours of the morning.
They did. I said
they should get various things ready, including binoculars.
My 20 year old daughter asked what she must do with the
binoculars..
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Authority
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I
was asked to give a talk to Brownies some years back.
It was winter and I wore a windbreaker.
As I came in I heard one Brownie whisper to another “Look -
he’s even got stars on his jacket!”
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