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Travelling telescope

A story of love, astronomy and the relationship between faith, spirituality and the cosmos.

Most people will never look through a telescope. When Chu Owen met Kenya’s official astronomer Susan Murabana during a solar eclipse, they pledged to change that. Their falling in love gave birth to the Travelling Telescope – a gathering place for people to look through a telescope and observe the wonders of the night sky.

They observe how gathering around the telescope offers an opportunity to express feelings of grief, of hope, of finding solace for earthly problems in the vastness of the Universe.

Kenyan singer Silayio – who has long-wanted to look through the telescope, describes how she discovered astronomy following a friend’s suicide which led her to question her Christian faith and go in search of a new system of belief.

Susan describes her own journey as a Kenyan woman passionate about science and astronomy. What unites all those who we meet around the telescope is a feeling of awe and wonder.

Producer: Sarah Cuddon

(Photo: Masai man looking through a telescope at the stars, with elephants in the distance. Credit: Daniel-Chu Owen)

Available now

27 minutes

Last on

Mon 20 Dec 2021 03:32GMT

Broadcasts

  • Fri 17 Dec 2021 04:32GMT
  • Fri 17 Dec 2021 05:32GMT
  • Fri 17 Dec 2021 13:32GMT
  • Sat 18 Dec 2021 16:32GMT
  • Sun 19 Dec 2021 09:32GMT
  • Sun 19 Dec 2021 10:32GMT
  • Sun 19 Dec 2021 19:32GMT
  • Sun 19 Dec 2021 22:32GMT
  • Mon 20 Dec 2021 00:32GMT
  • Mon 20 Dec 2021 03:32GMT

Podcast