- Created: Friday, February 22 2013 03:38
In the Argentine coastal city of Mar del Plata—located some 250 miles south of Buenas Ares, at about the same latitude as Melbourne, Australia—the public is being treated to some outstanding stellar experiences this year.
As reported by AWB National Coordinator (NC) Claudia C. Perez Ferrer, an illustrated lecture called “Stars of a Summer Night” (playing on the name of Shakespeare’s play) was the focus of an event that brought together more than 60 people. (In Argentina, by the way, a “summer night” comes in the months that Northern Hemisphere dwellers call “winter.”)
After this talk, the audience was treated to sidewalk telescope viewing in the central part of Mar del Plata (population 600,000), featuring the Moon and Jupiter. Claudia notes that starparty viewers included both “very poor families, dreaming of a telescope” and some of the wealthiest people, “surprised to look at the Moon.”
Recent public events in Mar del Plata also include a January 20 showing of a DVD presentation on “Argentine Amateur Astrophotography,” the work of a young amateur named Esteban Andrada. The DVD is available for free distribution and can be viewed and downloaded here.
Claudia and her co-NC for Argentina Pedro Saizar plan to continue the momentum through the rest of 2013, beginning with events in Mar del Plata planned for Earth Hour March 23 and Sun-Earth Day March 24.
