On my latest
astronomy trip to the Sahara in Southern Morocco, I met with many
enthusiast people in astronomy. I had a blast doing many activities
related to astronomy as Meteorite hunting, astrophotographying the
night sky and learning much of astronomy in general at this fabulous
hotel/observatory called Sahara Sky. 10 days of meteorite hunting,
astronomy learning and stargazing in the Sahara was incredible and
just unforgettable. Please join me in a series of posts on my journey
through the Sahara in Southern Morocco and one of the most dark skies
places I have ever seen.
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| Me and our guide @ Tamegroute village Credit: S. Lamoureux |
This is a short post
on the cultural side of the region I visited while I was there. The
town of Tamegroute 15 kilometers away from our location in the Sahara
desert was having it's market day. From fruits to spices and donkey
sales, the people where bustling. Our guide was the great great grand
son of a very old pottery family. The oldest in Tamegroute. He
invited us for tea in his shop and gave us the grand tour.
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| Rocks believed to be Meteorite. The dark rock is 3 kg. Credit: S. Lamoureux/ KTY Toutatis. |
His pottery was
amazing, old fashion way and old techniques used still today. At the
end we discussed of the old rocks that he had laying around in his
shop, we argued that they could be meteorites fallen for the sky.
They laughed and went along. 20 minutes later a friend of our guide
had come with a big bag of supposed meteorites. In a instant this
meeting became a meteorite sale and bargain. We changed his shop of
pottery to a shop selling meteorites. It was lots of fun and you felt
immediately the warmth of the inhabitants.
Another strange,
brutal and beautiful event occurred during the time I was in the
Sahara desert. The desert floor turned green. Unprecedented rain
falls hit the entire Morocco, leading to some destruction and
fatalities. This was a catastrophe. In an other hand, the result of
this rain fall gave the opportunity to the desert to grow small
vegetation on the surface of it's hills and plateau's. It was
incredible to see a green desert. It looked almost like a green rug
that was laid down on the landscape for miles and miles. It was cool.
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| The Sahara floor is green and full of vegetation. Credit: S. Lamoureux |
Another interesting
thing with the desert is that when you are isolated for many days
behind the dunes of the Sahara desert, your return to civilization is
brutal. The people seem more beautiful, more nice, more lively. It
was a shock to return to Marrakesh after the 10 days I spent in the
desert. I really noticed the loneliness and isolation of the Sahara
desert. This also was a cultural chock for me this time around.
Follow the complete travel post series and enjoy the astronomy behind it. This is all part of the public outreach of Astronomy Club Toutatis, Kustavi, Finland.
Links:
Village of Tamegroute WIKI
Read more about Astronomy Club Toutatis, Kustavi, Finland.
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