Stars in my eyes

After a day's fabulous Samba drumming workshop and a hairy cycle home on icy roads, I didn't really want to go out again, but the Dumfries Astronomy Society was holding a public event at the Museum and the sky was clear....

Sarah and I made a pot of tomato soup, wolfed it down and set off into town.

The Observatory was built on the site of an old windmill in 1836 and there is now a camera Obscura inside it. Tonight the telescopes were set up outside. There were less stars visible here in the town than we see at home, but I was excited to see through one of the telescopes the planet Jupiter and four of her moons. We could also see two stripes, which are the equatorial belts.

There are loads of children here, trying on spacesuits and making spaceships out of polystyrene cups.

I'm so glad I came.