The Sixth National Fair in Popular Astronomy

Diaporama
(Pictures taken by Mustapha Mouatsi, Yasser Mimouni, and Nassim Seghouani)

The Salon
17P/Homes

Drawing P.Morel-SAF
The Participants
The Lectures & Workshops
The Theatre, the Chorale & the Closing
17P/Homes: The Comet of the Fair
The Jijel Corniche Trip

The Salon


Planning sessions of the Salon at La Maison de Jeunes Les Terraces at Filali Constantine, where the Association is holding its weekly meetings.


The Salon held its promises. A large attendance of people from all walks of life with a large proportion of youths.


Hanging the banderols in the streets of Constantine.
More1, More2, More3, More4


More help from Sirius members on D-day
More

His Excellency the Wali of Constantine (Equivalent of the Governor in the US or Préfet in the France) honored us with his presence at the opening ceremony.

More on the Wali's visit

 

The Wali declaring the Salon open.



An overall view of part of the Exposition hall.

Visit by youngsters of the Fair

Abdeljalil answering inquiring minds

 

A side of the Expo was consecrated to the great observatories of the past. A masterly contribution of Aicha Houki from the Sirius Astronomy Association.


Touching the planets.

Some realizations of the Sirius members were also on display. Here an interactive stellar map of the Boulahia sisters as shown by Mustapha.


A view of the lecture hall

Various astronomical material on display and for sale.

 

The ENNA stand

Zerdoumi & Zerdoumi ... on a starry background

 

Younès flight ready ...

The Participants

Prof. Oussedik head of the Algerian Space Agency -ASAL- in an improvised press conference for the benefit of journalists present at the event.

Among the special guests of the Salon was Sid-Ahmed Boulil former Minister of Transport and member of the parliament

The AUASS was represented by Prof.Naimiy his president.


Dr.N.Guessoum from the American University in Sharjah was a much appreciated lecturer due to his great lecturing skills.

The CRAAG and the CTS regrouping...

The Jordanian Astronomical Association is a traditional partner to our Salons. Here Sanaa Abdo a science education expert and a noted meteorite observer

Here the SAF team in full: From left to right, Georges Bouderand, Philip Morel the SAF president, René Verseaux, Dr Seghouani from the CRAAG, Patrick Fuentes, Roger Ferlet, and at the right Smail Beyoud former Sirius Association president.

Er-Rassed Club from the coastal city of Tenès in Western Algeria

The Lebanese Astronomical Association participated this year for the fist time to our Fair

The ENNA team explaining aerial navigation to the public.

Air Algeria, the National Airline answered present ....

The Kashfi Astronomy Club from Blida,

...and from Douera, in the Algiers region.

The Boni Astronomical Club from Annaba, with its high flying display on the Solar System

The astronomy club from Medea in central Algeria with Hocine Fahist playing in his usual role of dedicated public communicator

The Auberge des Jeunes (International Youth House) of Filali where most of the workshops and sighting sessions were held.

The reception hall

Various educational, cultural activities took place in the evenings...

 

... to the great pleasure of the participants.

Mike with the Blidean amateur in traditional dressing.

 

Socializing

Enjoying

 

The Lectures & Workshops

Here the roundtable on the "Next Fifty Years in Space" going on.

Prof.H.Naimiy, Dean of the Faculty of Science of Sharjah University, and President of the AUASS, on Astronomy in the Arab world.

Bouderand from the SAF talking on the History of Radioastronomy

Sanaa Abdo an educationist and able lecturer from JAS

 

 

Patrick Fuentes, the SAF historian, on the early history of space flights

 

Dr. M.Taibi from CTS, Arzew, on the applications of spatial localization

Dr N.Seghouani from the CRAAG, an habitual figure of the successive Salons

Roger Ferlet a well known astrophysicist and former President of the SAF talking on astrophysics for all...


Mike Simmons from AWB in the States seen here in a reflecting mood during a lecture.

A workshop on CCD techniques led by P.Morel

Discussions "à batons rompus"...

Polishing mirrors with René Verseaux from the SAF

Analemmatic dial in the middle of the display room by Fateh Aouana

 

The Theatre play, the Chorale & the Closing

Rehearsal of the "The Space Race" show prior to the Fair

It was performed in a masterly way, thanks in particular to Bilal from the Constantine Regional Theater (Seen here lifting his arms).

The group on stage. Here we see Aymen (The teacher), Mosaab, Sami, Norhane, and Batoul.


Emotional moment: Korolev (AbdelJalil) talking to Laika which returned lifeless and blued by the lack of oxygen, or so it was believed for a long time. Only recently was it revealed that Laika lived only for few hours instead of the 7 days claimed by Soviet propaganda...

The theater group in full before receiving a well deserved ovation from the floor.


First November tribute

The Chorale directed by Mohamed Chafeteih

Invocations and poetry reading by Rayyane

Kamal Boukal Director of the DJS of Constantine handing out a gift to P.Morel, the SAF president

Dr Seghouani and Mike Simmons from AWB

Aicha, the Sirius secretary handing out the present to Sanaa Abdo from JAS

Seghouani handing the presents to M. Boudjemai representing the CTS and ASAL

Prof. Naimiy (In black attire) receiving his gifts on Thursday morning due to an early departure

17P/Holmes: The Comet of the Fair


At last a naked eye comet! The 17P/Holmes witnessed an outburst and became visible few days before the Salon. It swiftly spread to reach a large angular diameter with a tiny hardly visible tail but a huge coma. See also here a highly processed picture of the Comet.

The participants getting a taste of what watching a comet is all about

Estimating magnitudes by the eye of an expert.

Using a Nikon EOS to take shots at the comet and the star field around it. See picture at right.

A drawing by P.Morel made on that night from the observing site. The bright star at right is Alpha Perseus (Mirfak).
And here is a picture of the comet with a Nikon D80 taken by N.Seghouani in collaboration with P.Morel. Here we see clearly the comet close to the cluster Melotte 20

The Jijel Corniche trip and other peregrinations

The Jijel area

More 1, More 2

The Bridge overlooking the Beni Haroun mega dam. It is one of the longest suspended bridge in North Africa.

The old lighthouse

Admiring the paysage from the top

A rough sea and an ever changing weather

A picture of some of the participants.

Visiting the "Marvelous Cave" along the corniche.

A group picture in the natural cave (grotte naturelle) taken without flash.

A small seaport on the way

Mike the "seaman"

A night visit at downtown Constantine the night of the 1st November to watch the scout parade. Here some of the lecturers standing with some scout groups.

In the background of Malek Haddad Culture Palace where the Fair was held, an imposing structure: The Emir AbdelKader Mosque and University. It is one of the largest mosque in Africa

A view from the esplanade
More Pictures

The court yard

Under the dome

More on the Previous Fairs at:

 
Sirius Astronomy Association
B.P 18, Rue 20 Aout 1955. Constantine 25000. Algérie
Tél: (+213) 0771560658
e-mail:siriusalgeria@hotmail.com
Conception: Chamseddine MOUATSI //Association Sirius d'Astronomie