Astronomical moments “hunted”
Burst of happiness
The current head of the Hue Astrophysics young group is Nguyen Thi Ngoan, a third -year university student. Not talking much about herself, Ngoan "showed off" the elite members, the 2K generation (born from 2000 onwards) with deep astronomical knowledge and great passion on their faces. Those are youngster Truong Dinh Thinh, students Nguyen Tien and Dinh Cong Quoc Dat…
Nguyen Thi Ngoan said, “The knowledge of physics in school years is not enough for us to satisfy our passion for astronomy. Therefore, we join in the forums such as Vietnam Astrophysics. I love astronomy... to cultivate knowledge and explain the interesting astronomical phenomena."
Solar eclipse
Late in May, Ngoan and Hue Astrophysics Young Group had an exciting reunion when the total lunar eclipse of the super moon occurred.
Young Truong Dinh Thinh said excitedly: “A total lunar eclipse only occurs when the sun, earth and moon are in a straight line. Then the moon enters the shadow of the earth. Most happily, this lunar eclipse occurs at the same time as the moon is at its closest position to the earth. That's why we had the opportunity to witness the total lunar eclipse."
Dinh Thinh's simple happiness came from his childhood passion for astronomy. The happiness was doubled when he bought a Celestron telescope and enjoyed contemplating the moon and stars to his heart’s content.
Dinh Thinh said, “In dire financial straits, I managed to make a telescope by myself. The telescope was made manually, so its effect of amplifying the light intensity and the image of the celestial bodies in the sky was not very good. That was why I decided to work part-time for 4 months to save enough money for a telescope."
Diverse experiences
Since Truong Dinh Thinh bought the telescope, his life has been bustling and colorful. The constellations, lunar surface have become closer to him than ever before.
Thinh said, “For passion, the hobby of astronomy does not distinguish age and gender. Compared with my friends, I was in the "elite" generation because some friends have developed this passion since childhood, so our group has a lot of teen members."
Vinh Xuan Senior Secondary School’s Astronomy Club transmits love of astronomy to unfortunate students
Nguyen Tien and Quoc Dat are two of the young members. Crazy about astronomy from the science shows on TV, two students in 9th and 10th grade wonder why such a small telescope can observe the moon and planets so closely. Saving money, Nguyen Tien starts his passion with a telescope at 300,000 VND.
He said, “In 2017, I saved up for this telescope. Despite the inferior quality, to me, the telescope was like a treasure. Later, my grandfather gave me a better quality telescope (also a very precious item of his), so I felt as if my passion had been given wing to.”
Unlike Nguyen Tien, Quoc Dat had very memorable astronomical experiences in his Thanh Hoa native land. He said: “Every time I returned to my native land, I climbed the cot in the yard. My grandfather rested, and I kept looking at the sky, sometimes until 3-4 am. In the countryside, there was little electricity, so the sky was clear; every night of experience was very precious to me."
Due to the pandemic, the time Quoc Dat returned to his native land decreased. Instead of waiting for the clear sky in the far-off countryside, Dat consolidated his knowledge and bought a “deluxe" telescope to contemplate the stars to his heart’s content.
"I also improved knowledge such as defining the direction with the moon and stars, or watching nebulae, observing the planets...," said Dat.
The dream nurtured
Moving to Phu Vang coastal countryside, the youngsters living along the shore also had a place to pursue their passion. Vinh Xuan Senior Secondary School’s Astronomy Club established in 2017 is an incubator for many young lovers of astronomy.
Nguyen Van Loi, Club Chairman shared, “For us, the universe will no longer be special when there are no people to contemplate. Therefore, we desire the young lovers of astronomy to have a place to meet and exchange astronomical knowledge."
Aside from the bustling sessions of making water rockets, watching the night sky..., the young lovers of astronomy also do a meaningful activity. It is to convey the love of astronomy to schools, especially to youngsters with unfortunate fates currently living at the Provincial Association for the Blind.
During the conversation, the youngsters talked about meteor showers, cosmic black holes, and stories of planets.
Nguyen Van Loi said emotionally, “They were very interested. I and the club were also amazed that many of them are knowledgeable about the universe. They are unlucky not to be able to fully contemplate it with their own eyes like us, but I believe that in their dreams, the universe with planets and galaxies will always be brightly colored."
Astronomy is the study of the sun, moon, stars, planets, comets, galaxies... But for us, this is also a subject of conquering, overcoming limitations as well as touching the enthusiasts’ heart.
Therefore, when the young lovers of astronomy meet, the atmosphere becomes so bustling. Or it is the passion for astronomy that spurs Nguyen Tien's burning desire when my goal is to build an astronomical observatory at home. Therefore, whether in the remote countryside along the shore or in the brightly-lit city, Hue youngsters’ intense passion for astronomy continues to soar.
Story: MAI HUE - Photos provided by the character in the story