StarTruck Odyssey
From Expedition Vehicle to Mobile Observatory
The extraordinary story of an expedition vehicle
that longs for travel adventure and reaches over and over again for the stars.
Multimedia presentation by Gernot Meiser and Pascale Demy
As a strange vehicle navigates southward under
the starry blackness of a Nubian Desert sky, a new idea is conceived. As the
adventurers traverse the African continent from north to south – from windswept
Sahara sands to savannahs teeming with wildlife – the idea takes shape. The
German-French couple is travelling from Europe to southern Africa to witness
nature’s most awesome spectacle, a total eclipse of the Sun. Along the way they
are encouraged to also follow their new dream – to convert their 6-wheel Unimog
expedition vehicle to a fully-equipped portable observatory. On “star safaris”
for small groups of enthusiasts, at special astronomy events at Earth’s
increasingly rare dark sites, and at sidewalk astronomy gatherings in urban
locations, parks and schools, they imagine all that could be accomplished. By
the end of their year-long African odyssey, the dream has become an
obsession.
Now, years later, that dream has become a
reality. In this multimedia presentation Gernot Meiser and Pascale Demy present
the story of their African eclipse odyssey as well as the their mobile
observatory’s journey from concept to completion. Stunning images of Africa,
enthralling photos of a total solar eclipse and the expanse of the universe are
all a part of the journey.
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