Doing constellations
L904 – aged 11 – 75 minutes length
Watching the starry night and the most important constellations at the Planetarium, through related tales and myths. You can see Cassiopeia upon her throne, Andromeda tied to the rocks and Perseus who rescues her on Pegasus horseback.
Unrolling the Solar System
L905 – aged 11-13 – 75 minutes length
A game for learning the dimension of our Solar System. Unrolling a bathroom tissue roll, you can discover the scale of Solar System, the distances and the locations of the planets.
The game of the Earth, the Sun and the other stars
L906 –aged 11-13 – 75 minutes length
A student interprets the Sun, another the Earth, while the other students shape the Zodiac constellations: so they reproduce the revolution and rotation of the Earth, understanding the alternation of day and night and why the constellations move along the sky.
The game of the Earth, the Moon and the Sun
L907 – aged 11-13 – 75 minutes length
It’s advisable to do “The game of the Earth, the Sun and the other stars” first. The students, interpreting the Sun, the Earth and the Zodiac constellations, reproduce the rotation of the Moon and its revolution around the Earth, understanding the Lunar phases and the Solar and Lunar eclipses.
Measuring the Earth radius with Eratosthenes’ method
L909 – aged 14-18 – 150 minutes length
To be booked well in advance. During the Standard time, the activity takes place from 11 am till 1 pm; during the Daylight saving time, it takes places from 12 am till 2 pm. This activity involves at the same time another class in another city a few hundred miles away. The two groups exchange their results through Internet and, measuring the length of a shadow projected by a gnomon, they calculate the angle of incidence of the rays of sunshine, in order to reproduce the famous Eratosthenes’ measurement.
Observing the sky at the Planetarium
L910 – aged 14-18 – 75 minutes length
Inside the Planetarium, you can watch the starry sky and the motion of the celestial sphere, the sky upon the North Pole and at the equator. Using an ecliptic projector, you can reconstruct the mechanism of seasons alternation.
Celestial coordinates
L911 – aged 14-18 – 75 minutes length
Inside the Planetarium, you can work with the different celestial coordinate systems through a projection of the equator, the ecliptic and the local meridian.
Classifying the galaxies
L912 – aged 15-18 – 150 minutes length
Using an easy software, you can analyze beautiful images of galaxies, classifying them according to Hubble’s criteria. Discover the different types of galaxies and the physics behind their formation.
Weighing a galaxy: the role of dark matter
L913 – aged 15-18 – 150 minutes length
Just few basic physics laws, and you can measure the mass of a galaxy with the same method used by astrophysicists, in order to discover the mysterious role of the dark matter.
Images of Astronomy
L914 – aged 15-18 – 150 minutes length
How astronomers do their measurements on distant objects? What are CCD and pixels? Using an easy software and some astronomical images, you can discover how digital images work and the scientific information behind the images of the astronomers.
