Carting around the universe

WEDNESDAY PROFILE

Ron Fisher doesn't bake cakes or juggle, but he can focus a telescope on whatever star your heart desires. He talks with BRONWYN TORRIE.

Levin import Ron Fisher has been introducing locals to the wonders of the night sky for the past year in between touring schools with his inflatable planetarium or cosmodome.

The 26-year-old astronomer launched his business, Night Visionz, earlier this year to teach kids about the universe.

He studied astronomy at the University of Canterbury and has worked at the Carter Observatory in Wellington. He believes in aliens, dotes on his 17-month-old daughter, Lola, and helps his wife, Cat, in the vegetable patch.

What is your hidden talent?

Juggling and making cakes at the same time.

What's your foolproof home-cooked meal?

It's a family recipe with black-eyed peas, mushrooms, tomatoes and cumin. It was my Dad's recipe.

What are you working on at the moment?

Bringing astronomy to young people, I guess. That's what [Space Radio] is about. Mataroa, an event in Wellington, bringing Maori astronomy and navigation to the world. I'm also rebranding my business Night Visionz. We've been running it for a year. I teach astronomy using an inflatable planetarium which I take to schools.

If you could take anyone out to dinner, who would it be?

Maui. We hear as kids how Maui did all these things and what I'm learning is that those are real stories that actually happened. You can actually see Maui's fish hook in the sky.

What happened at the last party you went to?

The last what? I'm a dad so I don't really remember the last party I went to, but then again there is the Star Parties. We've done some quite big events this year in Levin.

What is it about the Horowhenua that keeps you here?

The Levin Stargazers, cheap rent and Miss Horowhenua, [laughs] nah, probably not.

Tell us about your favourite holiday ...

I reckon it was at Wilsons Promontory. It's the most southern point of Australia. It was just a beautiful place – it reminded me of home. We were living in Melbourne at the time [2007].

What's your most embarrassing childhood memory?

My first pimple. It was this huge big sore by the time I finished with it. At the time I was 13 and really caring about that sort of stuff.

Jelly Tip or Fruju and why?

Fruju. I think the ads from the 80s still have a hold on me, [starts singing] It's going to hit you oo ah oo ah oo ah.

Levin could do with ...

A planetarium. I think every town should have one. To be able to walk in off the street and sit down under the stars ... our history is in the stars.

What's your idea of romance?

A picnic with everything. Tea, jam and cream on scones.

Where would you go for this picnic?

Far away at a secret garden.

What's your word or phrase of the moment?

I quite like, life is empty and meaningless, just more as an internal phrase. Intrinsically meaningless, everything you add on top of that is extra. It's a good way to deal with stuff.

What's your most disliked band or musician and why?

I can appreciate anything as long as it's from the soul.

So not pop music, I guess, because it's manufactured.

What are you listening to at the moment?

Well, solar storms, pulsars, the Sun. For Space Radio, we're taking all those sounds and making music out of them. There is music in the universe.

What are you reading?

A Clockwork Orange, I'm at the last pages.

What are your plans in the next few months?

Because it's coming up to the school holidays I'm working on getting my business ready for next year to relaunch it. And celebrate the Summer solstice.

We got married in the Summer solstice last year so we'll make it a bit of a tradition to carry it on as our version of Christmas.

- © Fairfax NZ News