Shiver me timbers, how many people is that?
A BRASS telescope – the type that brings to mind images of pirates and galleon sailors – has found a use for a Westville family after gathering dust for generations.
Teacher-turned-businesswoman Maryanne Jackson will take it to the Durban Botanical Gardens on August 18 to help break a world record for the number of people gathering at a single spot to stargaze for 10 minutes, using magnifying instruments.
She asked the Astronomical Society of Southern Africa (Assa), whose Durban chapter she belongs to, if it would qualify – and it did.
“I can see the craters of the moon with it,” Jackson told The Independent on Saturday,
Her research has shown the spyglass was probably made in the 1800s.
Jackson took up astronomy after doing a beginner’s course with Assa “four or five years ago” and she has since acquired an electronic telescope.
Her highlight was seeing Saturn and its rings for the first time.
“I came home and said to my husband: ‘It looks just like a kitchen appliance, like a fridge. Shiny and white’.”
Jackson first became interested in the cosmic world at the age of 9 when US astronauts made the first moon landing in 1969.
“Later, at Girl Guides, I learnt about the stars,” she recalled.
“The current record holder for people looking at stars from one place is the Canberra Astronomical Society at the Mount Stromlo Observatory in Australia with 1 869 people,” said Assa spokesperson Logan Govender.
“From the support we get from the Durban public for our other events, I feel we have good reason to believe we will break the record.
“This is an attempt to show people how easy it is to find their way around the sky. We would like to change the belief that astronomy is the preserve of scientists and mathematicians and will have a number of telescopes, each focused on a different object.”
To qualify as part of the count, one must bring an instrument such as a pair of binoculars, but all were welcome to bring blankets and picnics.
“Telescopes, spotting scopes, cameras with telephoto lenses, opera glasses, even toy binoculars will also be accepted.”
The event will start at 7.30pm.