Last Saturday, Flowstars left the bustling party scene of Jozi to attend a stargazing event at the Maropeng Visitor Centre. Flowstars, Bianca Bothma, George Xafis, Kate Rau and I flew the Flow flag at Maropeng.
Led by public astronomer Vincent Nettman, stargazing at Maropeng includes a presentation and depending on the weather, guests can view some of the stars through the telescope.
Nettman went through an amazing presentation of the universe, the stars and how many galaxies are out there. The hour-an-a-half long event was attended by people from all walks of life including couples, older people, and children. Afterwards Nettman had one-on-one sessions with those who wanted to find out more about the stars.
Graphic designer George says the event was an informative and fun experience. “Vincent’s presentation was well-received, humorous and enlightening. I felt like I was projected into the cosmos. It was surreal.”
Even though the night was overcast and the stars were difficult to see, George says the presentation and buffet definitely made up for it. “I recommend anyone interested in astronomy to go and listen to Vincent Nettman.”
Bianca Bothma who works on the Maropeng website says Vincent’s illustrated talk was fascinating.
“I’m still trying to process how extensive our universe is. There is so much more to learn about the galaxies and I felt really inspired to come back to work and make sure that everyone knows about what a great experience they can have with Maropeng and the stargazing evenings.”
After the event, guests were treated to a buffet dinner at Maropeng’s Tumulus Restaurant where they got a chance to mingle with Nettman and direct probing questions at him and his team of astronomers.