Subject says it all. I've been to Namibia. "Namib" means "desert" in the local dialect. They've got amazing desert there which means near perfect seeing for astronomy. There's a dune field called "Sausis Flei" (sp?). The sand there is so fine and dry that it flows like water. The dunes are typically over a hundred meters high and stretch out to the horizon. They have these neat animals called "oryx". Oryx are beautiful alive but also quite tastey to eat. Oryx burgers and oryx jerkey are more common than the beef variety. The captial city of Windhoeck (sp?) has an fantastic outdoor display of iron-nickel meteorites. Also the largest single meteorite known is on display in Namibia. Finally there's this mountain called the "Brandberg" with these amazing rock paintings on the top. These paintings were made about 10,000 years ago and show Namibia when the climate was less harsh. Definitely worth a visit.

When I was a graduate student, I took an astronomy course using a C-14. My class project was to work out the orbital mechanics of the moons of Uranus (13th-magnitude objects). The C-14 provides outstanding value/dollar. However it only makes sense to own one if living out in the country, far away from light pollution.

Gary