Maybe I shouldn't have started this blog now, not with everything that's been going on.

Tuesday afternoon, at around 3pm, the vehicle showed up from the school that requested me to facilitate a stargazing session for their mid-week grades school and high school student overnight science camp during their foundation week.

First of all it was not the same coordinator that I talked to from last time, who was actually already on her way home when I got there. I was also told that although there was the same number of participants as last year (eighty students) that they were actually of a lower average age than last time. This year I was also accompanied by one of the department’s academic service faculty, John.

Besides that, this time I was not quartered in one of the offices, but in an actual bedroom that was part of their home economics facilities. Despite the fact that they did not know I was not alone, it was fortunate that there were two beds in the room.

Another change from last time was that my lecture was now scheduled for 6pm, an hour before the time I set for the early evening session, and the time for the star map that I printed out. Last year the lecture was scheduled for 5pm.

And there were a lot of adults hanging around outside the lecture room, whom I thought were teachers but turned out to be parents.

And despite the fact that I rushed my lecture to finish by 7pm, skipping some of the only partly distinguishable constellations, we got to start the stargazing session at almost 8pm because of the dinner that was scheduled after the lecture. I guess next time (and there IS a next time, more on that later) I’ll ask for the schedule beforehand.

Because of the delay in the start, it was actually too late for the students to appreciate Venus, already too low in the sky to look like nothing more than a haze through the telescope, although it was still recognizable with the naked eye. So I skipped that from our viewing list.

Now, same as last year, it was cloudy in the late afternoon before we started. That’s why when our host asked me if there was anything I wanted to request, I told them to tell the students to pray for clear skies.

And clear skies there were, if only because of the strong winds that blew the low and thin clouds across the sky faster. Fortunately for the students all the same celestial objects were still visible this year as last year: Mars, Jupiter, Saturn and the Moon.

The only star they weren’t able to see this year, because of the unmoving clouds near the southern horizon during the early morning session, was Alpha Centauri. They were also blessed in that it was only after all of the participants who were still awake for the 4am session had seen the Moon (and Jupiter again; first time was during the evening viewing) that no more break in the moving clouds appeared, and it started to drizzle steadily, calling a halt to the proceedings.

During dinner Tuesday night, the science teachers told us that probably next year they would ask for two sessions, not only because more students wanted to join (they were full of stories of students disappointed that they were not selected – either by teacher’s prerogative or lottery – to take part) but also the parents.

I guess I can count this as a regular annual service from now on.