100 Hours of Astronomy: Thursday 2 April

At that evening a starparty for amateurs was regulated in rural area in Qatana, about 20 km west of Damascus. Both amateurs and new-to-this-science people participated.

At the beginning there were some thin clouds, and with the moon in the first quarter a clear moon halo was seen. It arouse a good discussion between amateurs and novel participants. Afterwards the weather became clear enough for telescope observation.

About 65 persons participated in the activity, 50 of them had their first look through the telescope at this night. They saw the moon, Saturn, Orion Nebula, and some of the brightest Messier Objects. A short speech about the importance of astronomy was given, then a lesson about most important constellations and stars was presented.

All participants were given brochures, copies of the magazine of SAAA, and star charts.

We leave you with a photo summary of the event. Click on any image to enlarge it.

Through a 152-mm refractor	A number of telescopes
A speach about the importance of IYA 2009	Taking photos through the eyepiece
Inquiries and discussions about astronomy	Lessons about main constellations and stars
Photo of the moon by one of the amateurs	Observing different targets

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