
Special Solar Telescope at the Erongo Trade Expo
The NCRST team at the Erongo Trade Expo pictured with Hon. Tjekero Tweya, Deputy Minister of Trade and Industry, and Rob Johnstone of Space Observation Learning Namibia (SOLNA)
The NCRST, together with Rob Johnstone, an Astronomer and founder of Space Observation Learning Namibia (SOLNA) invited the public to view the sun through a special purpose solar telescope that allows viewers to observe the Sun safely during the day. The viewing took place on Saturday, 1 November at the Walvis Bay Civic Centre.
The solar telescope is a refractor-based optical system that uses special filters to view specific wavelengths of light, the most common of which is H-alpha. The H-alpha telescope allows safe observation of the entire solar disc, providing superb views of prominences, chromosphere, and surface details such as sunspots, plagues, flares, filaments, and granulation. H-Alpha filtering also gives the most “natural” view of the sun, in brilliant yellow, orange, and red.