in the Celestial Sphere

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Anton Harder



Hi my name is Anton Harder and I study Biology, Maths, German and Geography at Dereham Sixth Form

I am interested in astronomy and enjoy looking at the stars and formations. I go to astronomy club every week where we look at the science of the universe.

I am thinking of becoming a teacher of biology and am hoping to go to university to study biological science.

I have a part time job at a supermarket and work on Thursdays and Sundays.

I was one of the ten people lucky enough to go to South Africa to teach the learners out there a little about astronomy and also to help answer any questions they had about the United Kingdom.

I was part of the constellation group that taught the learners about what the constellations mean to us and then contrasting both constellations from each hemisphere. I found it really rewarding to teach the children in the township schools because they were really excited about what we were teaching and they were always asking questions about the work and our country. I hope that the information that was taught to the children will continue to be used in lessons to broaden the children’s minds.

One of the most interesting parts of the trip for me was taking a trip round a township. Before hand I was a little scared but when we got there the people were really nice and said they were really happy to see us teach there children and help some of them become more interested in the science of astronomy.

The most extraordinary thing I saw on the trip was when we went out one night and drove to a road, away from any lights to observe the night sky. It was great, the stars were so bright and you could see so many more then you could usually. I also used the information I had been teaching that day to pick out the constellations that were well known in the southern hemisphere for example the Southern Cross and my favorite constellation Orion.

The South African Large Telescope (SALT) was incredible to see because it was so large and I had researched about it before going to the South Africa but the real thing was so much better then the pictures. We were given talks by some of the people who had worked on the project and also some of the people who would be using it when it was fully up and running. We were also given a guided tour around the telescope which was a privilege to see such a large telescope up close. By the end of our trip to South Africa I had learnt so much both about the stories behind some of the African constellations but also about the African culture which really was an incite to another life. I hope that I have given some of the people that I have taught the will to carry on learning and also to teach each other.

If you have any questions about the trip then email me at kaiserslauten@hotmail.com.

I would like to say thank you the sponsors that made the trip possible and also a big thank you to Mr. Cripps who helped organize the trip and those that made it all possible to teach in the township schools. THANK YOU