Photo: Terra Mater Studios
Measuring the dimensions of an asteroid hundreds of millions of miles in outer space is not an easy task. The asteroid needs to pass in front of a bright star, allowing you to see its silhouette. NASA wanted to do this for one particular asteroid, but the angle was elusive. So as the asteroid was passing directly over Senegal, they got in touch with astronomers there, including Maram Kaire, a top Senegalese astronomer aspiring to build a space agency for his country. Kaire, who built his own telescope when he was 12, has been watching the sky for a long time and says there is a long history of doing this in his country. Almost all Senegalese are Muslim and for them, the stars and sun and moon show them when to start praying or fasting.
|
|
More:
