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A man looks at the moon eclipse with a telescope at Lake Magadi in Kenya, July 27, 2018 / AFP
"Mars, Pluto, Saturn, Jupiter, Venus, Mercury: that's what I would really like to see," says Daniel Chu Owen, trying to spot the position of the planets through an application on his mobile phone
With his wife Susan Murabana, 39 years old like him, they set up on Friday their powerful telescope on the shores of Lake Magadi, Kenya, 100 kilometers southwest of the capital Nairobi, to allow the neighborhood of observe the lunar eclipse
East Africa, as well as the Middle East and part of Europe, was one of the regions to offer the most spectacular views of the lunar eclipse – the longest of the 21st century.
"We have already done this on the occasion of the eclipses e solar in 2016, "says Susan Murabana. Some 300 members of the local community, mostly Masai, had come to use their telescopes.
"It's good to give such an opportunity to people who would otherwise not have been able to use such a camera," she adds, as Owen sets the mechanical telescope in the right position.
The longest 21st-century lunar eclipse seen from Kenya, July 27, 2018 / AFP
The couple, who founded the Traveling Telescope Africa association, chose Lake Magadi because of its isolation, far from the urban light pollution.
– "To become an astronomer –
Murabana points the planets with a laser pen while a young boy in shorts and black sweater climbs on a small stepladder to be the first to look in the telescope
"I saw the moons of Jupiter, and stars. Yes, I loved it, "smiled Memusi, age 7.
Around him, young people – some of whom are dressed in the traditional Masai dress – laugh and show the blushing moon, gradually obscured by the shadow of the Earth.
"This is the first time I see a red moon, it's very exciting," Murabana says, loudspeaker, to the crowd gathered for the show.
"The moon plunges into the "shadow" of the Earth, explains Owen on his side, while a shooting star crosses the sky.
Total lunar eclipse / AFP
"Until today I thought that Mars, Jupiter and the other planets were in the imagination of the scientists, "says one of the young observers, Purity Sailepo, 16."
"But now that I I've seen this, I can believe it and I want to become an astronomer to tell others, "says the teenager.
All around her, people of all ages queue in front of the telescope, excited to look in the telescope to finally admire the spectacle of the cosmos.
In the clear sky, distant stars and the Milky Way were clearly visible, the light reflected by the Moon Fading Temporarily
"You can not imagine how much the change is pronounced," says 40-year-old Mudit Sharma, who came from Nairobi to observe the eclipse. "You know it's logical but you really have to see it," he adds, as the moon turns into a pale amber silhouette.
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