Our amazing universe
A one hour talk that describes and shows images of the different astronomical objects and structures in the sky, from the very small to the very large. The talk covers important information on asteroids, comets, the life cycle of stars, galaxies, observatories and the cosmic calendar.
It can be accompanied by any of the three workshops below.
National Schools Observatory
This workshop allows students to access the Liverpool Telescope in La Palma, Spain. It teaches them how to request an image from the observatory as well as how to complete some basic analysis on the distance, brightness and size of the object they photographed (resources credit: National Schools Observatory).
Duration: 1.5 hours
Student ages: 11-14 years old
School must provide: computers with LTImage software installed beforehand; student access to colour printer
Number of participants: 30 students maximum
Skills gained: manipulating ratios, astronomical image analysis
Image Credit: The Liverpool Telescope
Planetary systems
Students make a scaled-down model of a known planetary system, with its star and exoplanets (resources credit: Royal Observatory Edinburgh). The workshop unleashes the creativity in boys and girls as they use a variety of craft materials to decorate a cotton bag with their scaled model, which is theirs to keep.
Duration: 1.5 hours
Student ages: 9-14 years old
School must provide (per student): A3 plain paper; pencil; calculator; metre ruler
Number of participants: 20 students maximum
Skills gained: manipulating ratios; thinking creatively; working safely
Image credit: M Pavlidou
Constellations
Students create a scaled-down model of the sky at night in the canopy of an umbrella with polaris at its rotational centre (resources credit: Stellarium).
Duration: 1.5 hours
Student ages: 9-14 years old
School must provide (per student): A3 plain paper; pencil; calculator; metre ruler
Number of participants: 20 students maximum
Skills gained: manipulating ratios; recognition of the main constellations in the night sky; working safely
Image credit: Stellarium