DECATUR — Since the beginning of time, man has looked toward the heavens and marveled at the wonders that grace the skies. For a small group of Decatur students, the chance to pierce the clouds and look into the universe became a reality.
Fourth-, fifth- and sixth-grade students from Decatur Northside Elementary and Decatur Middle School were able to learn about the stars May 20 when the University of Arkansas' Astronomy department brought its mobile planetarium to Peterson Gym in Decatur.
The students learned about the universe during the final science unit of the 2015-16 school year. The young stargazers learned about the solar system and its individual planets. They researched each of the eight planets and the dwarf planet Pluto. They constructed models and drew pictures of each and displayed their works in the classrooms.
The students learned how the sun works and the relationship between the earth and the moon.
Caitlin Ahrens, a planetary scientist working on her doctorate, was one of the planetarium guides during the university's visit. The students crawled through a small dark tunnel that led into the inflatable dome. As their eyes grew accustomed to the darkness, the Milky Way galaxy began to appear on the curved dome. As they watched the spectacle unfold before their eyes, Ahrens pointed out the position our solar system occupies in the galaxy.
In another classroom adjacent to the gym, Julia Heydenreich talked about the constellations and their relationship to navigation and mythology. She handed out star charts showing the shapes of the major constellations and their positions in the night skies.
Kendra Farnsworth and Travis Garmon talked to students about the moon. They performed an interesting experiment that illustrated the phases of the moon using a simple Oreo cookie. Each student received a small package of the cookies. Students pulled a cookie out of the package and held it in their hands. The whole cookie represented the full moon. They took a small bite, the third quarter. They ate away the cookie until there was nothing left, the new moon.
For the astronomy department, this event marked the second time the mobile planetarium has been used since discovering it in a storeroom earlier this year. When it was unpacked and inflated, the dome was found to be in perfect shape. The department decided to use the unit as a mobile teaching platform to bring the universe to students who might not have a chance to experience a planetarium first hand.
The planetarium visit marks a first for the Decatur school district and something that will be repeated next year.
General News on 06/01/2016