Telescopes for Ethiopia: Updates
For the latest news, please scroll down...
Binoculars Appeal If you want to donate an old pair of binoculars to the appeal then either:
- Come along to one of our meetings (listed on the events page) and drop them off there
- Get in touch via the Contact page so that they can be sent on to us or, in certain circumstance, we might be able to arrange collection
The Project
Sunderland Astronomical Society is pleased to announce Telescopes for Ethiopia, a new project aimed at promoting astronomy and science in the horn of Africa.
We all know that famine and malnutrition plague countries such as Ethiopia and Sudan, and most would agree that the only lasting, long-term solution to the problems of this beleaguered region is to help the people to help themselves.
David Kidd, of South Shields, is an enthusiastic amateur astronomer who is currently teaching in Ethiopia. Whilst visiting a remote school, David discovered that the only way the teachers could demonstrate the wonders of the night sky was to get the children to hold a piece of rolled up paper to their eyes and ask them to imagine what the stars would look like if they were much, much closer.
All that you need to make a functional astronomical telescope is a pair of lenses and a tube to hold them the right distance apart. Sounds remarkably like a set of binoculars, and how many of us have an old pair of binoculars lying around in the attic, unloved and unused?
That's why we're asking the people of the North East to donate their unwanted binoculars to the Telescopes for Ethiopia project.
Ethiopia applies an import tax on completed binoculars entering the country, but the import tax does not apply to small lenses. Our plan is to strip the lenses out of old binoculars, check that they'll work as an astronomical telescope and then send them to the participating schools where the lenses can be re-assembled into small telescopes.
However, not all schools will have the machining facilities required to make the tubes and fittings, so we will also be fundraising to buy small kits which can be shipped out to these schools.
Our long-term goal is to build a good-sized astronomical telescope in Ethiopia. We're already off to a flying start with an eighteen inch mirror which has been donated by Sunderland Astronomical Society and is currently being finished off by a local mirror maker.
If this project is successful, we plan to extend and expand the model around the world, inviting other astronomical societies to participate, get involved and provide help and support in regions where technology and money are hard to come by.
So Telescopes for Ethiopia may just be the beginning. Although these school children have little in the way of material goods, they do have a fantastic night sky and a burning enthusiasm to learn. By donating an unwanted set of binoculars, people at home can help in a very practical way to enrich the life of an Ethiopian child.
For more information, please contact:
- Graham Darke, Chairman, Sunderland Astronomical Society, chairman@sunderlandastro.com
- David Hughes, Vice Chairman, Sunderland Astronomical Society, webmaster@sunderlandastro.com
... or visit our Facebook group here
Latest News from Sunderland
From David Hughes, Sunderland, Tyne and Wear
The first batch of lenses and eyepieces are ready to ship to Ethiopia.
A total of six pairs of binoculars were stripped down to their components and checked to make sure that they were suitable. The best examples were then put to one side and given a quick clean, essentially to make sure that the surfaces were free from cracks and scratches. Only one pair failed this test.
A couple of prisms were also included in the package as they're useful teaching aids.
The remaining aluminium bodies will be recycled for scrap and the money raised used for postage and packing.
Latest News from Ethiopia
From David Kidd, Woldiya, Ethiopia
Measuring the distance of the Sun is a good practical activity.
The procedure is simple: the ratio of the size of the sun's image to the telescopes focal length is the same as the ratio of the Sun's diameter to its distance from Earth. In this case the diameter of the image was 5mm and the focal length 55cm.
Taking the sun's diameter as 1.39 million kilometers gives the distance as 152.9 million km, around 6% greater than the actual value.
The same technique can also be used to find the Sun's diameter given its distance.
David Kidd, 10th February 2012, Woldiya, Ethiopia
Latest News from Ethiopia
From David Kidd, Woldiya, Ethiopia
I've been training teachers how to observe the Sun by projection.
I do it this way with the telescope on the shoulder because we don't have proper mounts and I like to have everyone everyone looking away from the Sun not staring at it.It's easy to aim the telescope using the shadow and it's safe even for quite young children to use.
I hope to have telescopes in all local schools for the eclipse November 2013 and I want to teach them to use this method as it works well with small groups and will stop children damaging their eyes by staring at the Sun. The eclipse will be in the evening just before sunset so the angles are just right.
Human "tripods" work well at night too with the telescope on the shoulder of one child and another looking through it. They like to work together and I like to encourage them to talk about what they can see.
The telescope is my old Ross watch keeper telescope. It was made by Ross when they were owned by Charles Parsons so I like to think of it as a link with Grubb Parsons even though it was made in London.
David Kidd, 27th January 2012, Woldiya, Ethiopia
