'I want to see the first African woman in space': the Kenyan stargazer bringing astronomy to the peo

[Jilly_in_VA]

‘I want to see the first African woman in space’: the Kenyan stargazer bringing astronomy to the people

It’s 1.30am in Kenya’s parched and sparsely populated north, and 50 people are lying on their backs on the shore of a dried-up river, staring up at the night sky. Thousands of stars create a vast, glittering canvas with the ghostly glow of the Milky Way clearly visible.

These stargazers have travelled 250 miles (400km) overland from Nairobi to Samburu county to witness the Perseid meteor shower – a celestial event that happens every July and August. They are not disappointed: every few minutes, arrows of light shoot across the sky like silent fireworks, prompting gasps and arm-waving as people try to pinpoint individual shooting stars.

The Star Safari is organised by a Kenyan astronomer, Susan Murabana, who has brought the SkyWatcher Flextube – a 50kg, 170cm-long telescope – to allow the group to view Jupiter, Saturn, Mars and Venus, and deep-sky objects such as the Orion and Trifid nebulae, star clusters and galaxies such as Pinwheel and Andromeda.

But here in Samburu, where light pollution is minimal and the air is warm and full of anticipation, the Perseid meteors – visible with the naked eye – steal the show.

“There’s something about the sky that makes you want to experience it with other people,” says Murabana, who launched Star Safaris in 2021. But this is not the only way she is sharing her passion and knowledge.

https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2023/sep/18/i-want-to-see-the-first-african-woman-in-space-the-kenyan-stargazer-bringing-astronomy-to-the-people

This makes me so happy. Ad astra per aspera!

[Judi Lynn]

1. Love her quote you shared as the last sentence in your post. It's intensely true.

As with the Perseid shower they can see so well in their uncluttered sky every year, it might be just too much to have to witness it by oneself!

That's such a great article, Susan Murabana is exactly the right person at the right time exactly where she is, as the field is expanding so rapidly.

I'm stunned by the glowing circles she takes with her and the telescope for great sky events! Have never seen one before. Wow! That would surely get the attention of future scientists lucky enough to run into her. So much ahead for her and her circle of influence.