Swellendam Stargazers - By Dr. Christian Glatz

An exciting new tourist attraction has been added to Swellendam’s ever-growing repertoire of activities.
A group of young enthusiasts, Chris Heyneman, Petro Janse van Rensburg, Christian Glatz and Sanet Glatz, each with a passion for astronomy, have decided that Swellendam and its many tourists might benefit from having something extra, interesting and unusual to enjoy in the evenings—a Night of a Thousand Stars!
Accordingly, they resolved to make their telescopes available, sharing them with like minded enthusiasts and those wishing to learn more under the beautiful African night skies. And so Swellendam Stargazers was born.
General astronomy talks are presented every Monday night at Wildebraam Berry Estate in the beautiful natural surroundings of the Hermitage Valley. Tasty meals are offered by Wildebraam’s talented chef, Hennie van der Merwe. Other nights in the week are also available provided enough people (at least 4 people per night) are interested and bookings are made in advance.
Outdoor facilities include two telescopes. The huge 16 inch Meade LightBridge Dobsonian telescope is driven by the user’s own hands, so that finding your own beautiful nebulas and galaxies becomes very exciting. A 6 inch Celestron NexStar, which is driven by two accurate engines keeping views of a particular object fixed, enables lovely photographs to be taken.
As special events unfold in the night skies—like meteor showers or eclipses—more targeted talks and demonstrations, relating to the specific topic, are presented as was done with the recent solar eclipse.
When the weather does not play along and clouds obscure the heavens, a back-up, alternative program is put on. This may include a ‘sneak-cheat’ preview of the skies with astronomy software and drawings of constellations on laminated paper. Some hitherto unknown artists have already shown their true colours on some of these cloudy nights!
Talks have also been held at the Swellendam High School, where some 60 pupils showed considerable interest in the lovely sights up in the sky.
So what happens on an average night?
A 3-course meal is served—if this option is chosen. After the meal, a 40 to 60 minute talk (in plain, clear English, Afrikaans—or German, if required) will explain ‘what is up there’. People attending are then split into two groups and each is given a tour of the night sky through their respective telescopes by Chris and Christian.
Ample time is allowed for questions throughout the evening. Those wishing to stay longer, may swop around to see the heavens through the other telescope. Provision is made for those with their own digital cameras, to take photographs through the Celestron telescope.
What can one see up there?
Planets: Saturn with its beautiful rings is clearly visible. Jupiter with its red stripes and four of its moons also grace the skies with their presence. The other planets, especially nearby Venus and Mars are also visible, but are no longer seen as mere spots.
Stars: Breathtaking views of the brightest stars in the night sky, including the major celebrities such as Sirius, Betelgeuse and Rigel.
Star constellations: The prominent constellations are pointed out and the legends behind them described. These include the legend of Orion, the Seven Sisters, Scorpio and also a San legend about the night sky.
Star clusters: Through the telescopes, clusters such as 47 Tucanae and Omega Centauri are majestic in their brilliance.
Nebulas: The stirring Great Orion Nebula, the Lagoon Nebula and the Trifid Nebula in Sagittarius are but a few of the beautiful nebulas that are visible.
Moon: Breathtaking views of our nearest neighbour are presented—with proof that the moon is indeed made of cheese!
Swellendam Stargazers are currently targeting mainly the local guest houses but locals are, of course, most welcome too! Those interested in learning to present these talks are also welcome to contribute.

Please contact Sanet Glatz at:
Cell: 084 255 0522 (preferably after hours)
Website: http://sstargazers.webs.com