6 July 2014 sky & telescopeRobert Naeye
Spectrum
Hed.GillSans.
Founded in 1941
by Charles A. Federer, Jr.
and Helen Spence Federer
The Essential Guide
to Astronomyin mid-April, a few days after returning
from an eventful trip to South America. The fi rst week involved a fabulous
S&T tour of Chile with Spears Travel. Besides daytime sightseeing, our
group (above) went out fi ve evenings to observe pristine Southern skies
with local astronomers. As I expected, every night was clear. Many of my
fellow travelers had never had the opportunity to enjoy Southern show-
pieces such as 47 Tucanae, the Tarantula Nebula, and the Jewel Box cluster.
And even a grizzled veteran such as me never gets tired of these spectacles,
especially when I view them through large scopes under truly dark skies.
Among the tour’s many memorable moments were the two powerful
earthquakes that struck northern Chile on April 1st and 2nd. Our group
was in San Pedro de Atacama, an oasis town about 280 miles (450 km) east
of the epicenters. I had previously experienced quakes in California, but
none as powerful as these. I literally felt seismic waves raising and lower-
ing the fl oor of my hotel room under my feet. Fortunately, we were far
enough from the epicenters that we were in no danger. Thanks to Chile’s
well-enforced building codes and tsunami drills, the death toll was in the
single digits — an amazingly low number given that both quakes regis-
tered around magnitude 8. Preparation saves lives.
I later fl ew to Brazil, and spent a few days in Campos dos Goytacazes,
a bustling city of nearly half a million located 180 miles northeast of Rio
de Janeiro. I attended an annual space-science conference organized by
physicist Marcelo de Oliveira Souza and held at a local technical school. I
participated in this same conference in 2010 (S&T: Aug. 2010, p. 6). Lumi-
naries at this year’s meeting included astrophotographer David Malin and
ESA astronaut Paolo Nespoli.
Every year Marcelo puts in a Herculean eff ort to organize this confer-
ence. His goal is to stimulate a passion in science among the youth of Cam-
pos, and at least a dozen students in his school’s astronomy club helped
run the show with a high level of enthusiasm. Just like 2010, I came away
inspired by Marcelo’s incredible dedication to serving his nation, young
people, and science. The conference left me feeling energized about the
future of astronomy in developing nations. ✦I write these words
South America Adventures
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