The mayor receives astronaut Claude Nicollier, the final touch of the XII Astronomical Conference of Almeria.
The mayor receives astronaut Claude Nicollier, the final touch of the XII Astronomical Conference of Almeria.
The mayor of Almeria, Maria del Mar Vázquez, received at her town hall this morning Claude Nicollier, an international representative who belonged to the first group of European astronauts who participated in four missions on four NASA shuttles. The Swiss will be responsible for the conclusion this Monday of the XII Astronomical Conference, organized by the Cultural Zone of the City Council of Almeria in collaboration with the Provincial Council and the University of Almeria.
Accompanied by councilor Diego Cruz, event coordinator Pedro San José and astrophysicist John Beckman, the mayor thanked Claude Nicollier for his presence in Almeria. “This is his second time participating in these sessions, and this is of utmost importance as he has an extensive resume as an astrophysicist and astronaut, spending up to 43 hours in space and completing an 8-hour spacewalk to repair a telescope,” he said . . outstanding.
“I want to thank you for your presence to educate and educate so many people who took part in this event, both university students and experts, as well as citizens who were interested in learning what it means to be an astronaut. These conferences undoubtedly make Almeria a global benchmark for astronomy,” said the advisor.
Maria del Mar Vázquez assured that these twelfth days, which took place from May 7 to 20, “were a success: more than 500 participants and five luxurious speakers.”
The astronaut, for his part, assured that “it is a great honor for him to visit Almeria as part of these days.” “I came for the first time a long time ago and now, 14 years later, I have the opportunity to return. “I really like this place and the fact that it gives me the opportunity to talk about space missions, especially those that are being done to repair the Hubble Space Telescope,” he said.
In days
The bulk of the presentations took place from May 7 to May 10, especially the first with astronaut Michael Lopez Alegria on Tuesday, May 7. His lecture was entitled “Space Travel and Private Enterprise.” The program continued with presentations by astrophysicists John Beckman (day 8, “Moons of the Solar System”); Almudena Zurita (Day 9, “Island Universes: Discovering Galaxies”) and David Galadi (Day 10, “Metal Stars: A Threat to Space Surveillance”). Today it is Claude Nicollier.
The conferences on May 7, 9, 10 and 20 were held at the Apolo Theater and on May 8 at the auditorium of the Municipal School of Music and Arts (EMMA). They can all enter freely until capacity is reached. Let us remind you that they were broadcast via streaming via the conference’s YouTube channel.
After the first section of the conferences, the big new thing was a night of observing and photographing the night sky on Friday, May 17, in Playa de los Genoveses and in the UAL astronomy classroom. For our part, the traditional meeting at the Orion Association building in Retamar took place yesterday afternoon, with a picnic for all participants.
As usual, an exhibition dedicated to Astronomical Days was held in Diputación from May 6 to 20. This will be an exhibition of paintings “Space has become art” by artist Julia Moreno (JuliaArt).