Students warm to the stars<\/p>\n
I Wayan Juniartha, Denpasar, Bali<\/p>\n
Hariningsih closed her right eye and focused the left one on the
\neyepiece of the Meade star telescope.<\/p>\n
Her friend watched attentively while the 17-year-old high
\nschool student tried to get a better look at the Sun. The
\ntelescope was equipped with a special filter for viewing the Sun.<\/p>\n
A few second later she gasped in amazement.<\/p>\n
\"Wow, now I know what the Sun looks like. It is definitely
\nmore than just a disc with blinding lights,\" she said with a grin
\non her face.<\/p>\n
Her friends took turns observing the Sun through the
\ntelescope, sharing their newly acquired knowledge and, most
\nimportantly, curiosity and wonder over the celestial object,
\nwhose existence they had taken for granted before this.<\/p>\n
A few meters from Hariningsih's small group another group of
\nhigh school students was sitting before a sundial, listening to a
\nyoung instructor carefully explain how the shadows on the sundial
\ndetermined compass directions, particularly north and south.<\/p>\n
\"Magnet-based direction-finding instruments such as compasses
\nusually produce a slightly deviated result due to the influence
\nof the earth's magnetic field. A sundial is not affected by the
\nmagnetic field and can yield better, more accurate results,\" the
\ninstructor said.<\/p>\n
Nearby, another group examined a pinhole camera, a simple and
\neasy-to-construct device that can be used to measure the width of
\nthe Sun's shadow.<\/p>\n
The students were among 70 participants of an amateur
\nastronomy workshop held on Thursday at SMU 1 high school in
\nDenpasar. They came from schools across Bali. The workshop was
\norganized in conjunction with the ninth Asia-Pacific Regional
\nMeeting of the International Astronomical Union (IAU) from July
\n26 through July 29 in Nusa Dua.<\/p>\n
The workshop involved 15 instructors from Planetarium Jakarta,
\nthe Astronomy Students Association of the Bandung Institute of
\nTechnology and the Association of Jakarta Amateur Astronomers.<\/p>\n
\"We want to introduce them to the field of astronomy, to spark
\nan interest in the subject, which, honestly speaking, is less
\npopular than, say, economics. Hopefully, some of them will end up
\npursuing a career in astronomy,\" instructor Widya Sawitar said.<\/p>\n
The workshop included classroom presentations and field
\ntraining.<\/p>\n
\"We are trying to present all of the topics in the most
\npleasing and appealing way,\" he said.<\/p>\n
For example, the instructors engaged the students in a relaxed
\ndiscussion on the 12 zodiac constellations, the source of the
\npopular astrology columns in newspapers and magazines, before
\nguiding them through the astronomical and scientific data of the
\nzodiac.<\/p>\n
\"An interest in astronomy could lead the students into various
\nrewarding fields, from astrophotography to research on jet
\npropulsion and interstellar flight,\" Sawitar said.<\/p>\n
For the students, it was an eye-opening event that filled them
\nwith knowledge and amazement. Some, like Hariningsih, who goes to
\nhigh school in the eastern corner of the island, are even
\nconsidering studying astronomy at university.<\/p>\n
\"It turns out to be a very engaging subject. Previously, I did
\nnot even know that there was an astronomy department at the
\nuniversity,\" she said.<\/p>\n
(Note: People should never look directly at the Sun without
\ntaking special precautions, whether or not they use a telescope
\nor binoculars. The light is so intense it can seriously damage
\nthe eyes, even causing blindness. If using an optical instrument
\nlike a telescope, the advice of an experienced user should be
\nsought beforehand.)<\/p>\n
Caption foto telescope:
\n-Hariningsih peers at an image of the sun through the eyepiece of
\na Meade star telescope.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/students-warm-to-the-stars-1447893297",
"image": ""
},
"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
}