July 20th, Mussina (Great North road Plaza & Buffalo Spur)

[nggallery id=33]

After having to frustratingly postpone the astronomy outreach at Elim for the fourth time, James and I were enthusiastic when clear skies dawned in Louis Trichardt on Saturday for our trip to Mussina.  While setting up at the north entrance to the great North Road Plaza, shoppers were already getting inquisitive and James started handing out material while I was busy with the telescope.  The first couple of hours were hectic with queues at the telescope as well as at the “Fossils, Light & Time” display and poster table.  It quietened down as the afternoon progressed and I grabbed the opportunity to get us some much needed refreshments.  At around 16:00 we started packing up with most of the handout material having been snapped up by the eager shoppers.

By 17:00 we were outside Buffalo Spur, and while James grabbed a hurried meal I began to plan and prepare for the evening’s stargazing.  With the display and equipment ready, I projected the nearly full Moon up on the screen and I ate at the trot as visitors stopped for a look.  Once again we were kept fairly busy during the early part of the evening with a number of guests that we’d seen earlier in the afternoon coming out for views of the Moon and Saturn.   A constant stream of visitors and restaurant patrons had lovely views of Saturn and the Moon through the eyepiece and by around 22:00, with the restaurant’s traffic dwindling, we decided to call it a night. 

A warm thank you to Felix from Great North Road Plaza, and Attie from Buffalo Spur, Mussina, for allowing us to operate from those premises.