197
As examples, I shall review here only a few of our noteworthy events and
significant achievements.
To mark the last return of Halley’s Comet in 1986, the IAC, in collaboration with Santa Cruz Town Hall, and the Caja General de Ahorros de Canarias,
organized a Star Party on Las Teresitas beach. On a summer’s night the
mountain- enclosed beach was peppered with several live music stands and
audiovisual projections that alternated with public talks and astronomical
observations. We had to entertain, address, and instruct people until just
before dawn, which was when Halley began to rise. The entire staff of the IAC
intermingled with the public to help identify and observe features in the night
sky with binoculars. Amateur astronomers brought their telescopes. The celebration thronged with people of all ages and social classes—a true astrofest!
The event was a resounding success. According to press reports, 60,000
people attended from all over the island, and that figure might have been even
greater had a bottleneck not formed at the entrance to the beach. This traffic
jam prevented thousands more people from arriving and others from leaving
until well into the morning. The poet Rafael Alberti said that he missed his
flight back to the mainland because of the traffic jam, but that it was worth
the hassle to be able to contemplate Halley once more (he had seen it as a
child in 1910).
When at last the comet appeared above the horizon it was frankly disappointing. It was hard to distinguish and looked weak and pallid. People are
used to seeing beautiful images of glorious comets with distinct hues and large
tails. They are unaware that such images require many hours at the telescope,
with cameras equipped with special filters. The same frustration is always felt
when gazing at the firmament with the naked eye. But, in spite of everything,
we are often told that the Halley Party left lasting memories.
A special milestone on our road to injecting scientific knowledge into popular culture was the creation of the Tenerife Museum of Science and the
Cosmos in La Laguna, opposite the IAC’s central headquarters. The Museum
was inaugurated on 11 May 1993. In that same year, the Prince of Asturias,
our Honorary Astrophysicist, visited the Museum, whose inauguration he
had been unable to chair owing to other official commitments. The Tenerife
Cabildo provided the funding, and the IAC, the scientific input.
As always happens, a series of favourable circumstances had to coincide to
make it all possible. The project began to take shape after the 1985 inaugurations (see Chap. 13) under the wing of the preparations for the IAC’s participation in Expo ’92 in Seville, as will now be described. A key event was Adán
Martín’s accession to the presidency of the Tenerife Cabildo. Martín was a
restless and bright young engineer who knew the IAC well since we had
20 Bringing Astronomy to the Public (1986–Present)
As examples, I shall review here only a few of our noteworthy events and
significant achievements.
To mark the last return of Halley’s Comet in 1986, the IAC, in collaboration with Santa Cruz Town Hall, and the Caja General de Ahorros de Canarias,
organized a Star Party on Las Teresitas beach. On a summer’s night the
mountain- enclosed beach was peppered with several live music stands and
audiovisual projections that alternated with public talks and astronomical
observations. We had to entertain, address, and instruct people until just
before dawn, which was when Halley began to rise. The entire staff of the IAC
intermingled with the public to help identify and observe features in the night
sky with binoculars. Amateur astronomers brought their telescopes. The celebration thronged with people of all ages and social classes—a true astrofest!
The event was a resounding success. According to press reports, 60,000
people attended from all over the island, and that figure might have been even
greater had a bottleneck not formed at the entrance to the beach. This traffic
jam prevented thousands more people from arriving and others from leaving
until well into the morning. The poet Rafael Alberti said that he missed his
flight back to the mainland because of the traffic jam, but that it was worth
the hassle to be able to contemplate Halley once more (he had seen it as a
child in 1910).
When at last the comet appeared above the horizon it was frankly disappointing. It was hard to distinguish and looked weak and pallid. People are
used to seeing beautiful images of glorious comets with distinct hues and large
tails. They are unaware that such images require many hours at the telescope,
with cameras equipped with special filters. The same frustration is always felt
when gazing at the firmament with the naked eye. But, in spite of everything,
we are often told that the Halley Party left lasting memories.
A special milestone on our road to injecting scientific knowledge into popular culture was the creation of the Tenerife Museum of Science and the
Cosmos in La Laguna, opposite the IAC’s central headquarters. The Museum
was inaugurated on 11 May 1993. In that same year, the Prince of Asturias,
our Honorary Astrophysicist, visited the Museum, whose inauguration he
had been unable to chair owing to other official commitments. The Tenerife
Cabildo provided the funding, and the IAC, the scientific input.
As always happens, a series of favourable circumstances had to coincide to
make it all possible. The project began to take shape after the 1985 inaugurations (see Chap. 13) under the wing of the preparations for the IAC’s participation in Expo ’92 in Seville, as will now be described. A key event was Adán
Martín’s accession to the presidency of the Tenerife Cabildo. Martín was a
restless and bright young engineer who knew the IAC well since we had
20 Bringing Astronomy to the Public (1986–Present)