Obs gets camera obscura

OBSERVATORY will soon boast its own camera obscura, an ancient sort of telescope, to add to its eclectic array of places of interest.
The camera obscura, a device through which an image of the outside world is projected into a dark room, is part of the Cape Town Science Centre which recently relocated from Century City to Observatory.
The operation to get the camera obscura relocated was delayed by the recent rough weather. It will consist of a large protuberance that will jut out from the roof of the science centre, and reflect images from the outside world onto a flat surface inside a dark room in the science centre.
Visitors to the centre will be able to view breathtaking images of Table Mountain, Groote Schuur Hospital, the surrounding streets and buildings as well as Table Bay with Paarden Island in the distance inside to room.
According to an explanation on the South African Astronomical Association’s website, a camera obscura works by like a camera, where light travels through a tiny hole, crosses over and forms an upside-down image on a flat surface held parallel to the hole. The phrase means “dark room” in Latin.