The stars aligned for our stargazing evening – literally! Clear skies prevailed, all of our special guests were able to come, and the whole class came out for a spectacular evening on Friday, April 13, 2012.
Our school borrowed a set of 15 iPads a few weeks ago. Teachers got to take them home to familiarize ourselves with them. My family and I discovered the “Planets” app and were excited to stand in our back yard and actually be able to identify the planets and constellations by name. I decided it would be a fantastic experience to do this as a class, particularly since we are learning about the solar system. When I mentioned the idea to Tanya Casselman, my student teacher, she immediately jumped on board and invited her astronomy professor from Vancouver Island University, Dr. Greg Arkos, to come and lead the class in a star walk. I contacted Garland Coulson, president of Nanaimo’s Astronomy Club, and he and some volunteers brought 3 telescopes for us to use. George and Ryan Clark, a grade 5 student at Randerson and resident expert, brought their telescope, too. Twenty one of my students arrived, along with siblings, parents and even grandparents. About 70 people converged on our field with iPads in hand!
Dr. Arkos used his high powered laser beam to point out various planets, stars and constellations and tell us the stories associated with them. It truly was an example of lifelong learning for adults and children alike as we listened to him share his expertise.
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| Miss Casselman and Ms. Burnham enjoying the night with their students |
After hot chocolate and cookies, we went back outside. Coincidentally, the International Space Station was to pass overhead at 9:50 P.M. and we were directly under its line of orbit! Sure enough, it appeared out of the west and we tracked it across the sky. It was in view for about 5 minutes until disappearing just above the horizon.
It was awe-inspiring to see the Space Station and imagine the 6 astronauts on board looking down at Earth. Viewing Saturn and its rings through Ryan’s telescope was a highlight for me – I never imagined that I would be able to see a planet 1.5 billion miles away!
Many thanks to Dr. Arkos, Tanya Casselmen and her fiancé Josh, Garland Coulson and the volunteers from the Nanaimo Astronomy Club, Ryan Clark and his parents, Val Martineau, our librarian who facilitated our use of the iPads, Shelley Beleznay, District Coordinator of Literacy and Learning, Glenn, Catherine and Sarah Norman, Dave Sutton, and all the parents who let their children stay up well past their bedtimes. I was so proud of my students who were terrific self-managers and such enthusiastic learners! An incredible experience was had by all.
Nancy Burnham Gr. 3 Teacher
First, everyone met in the library. We all were bursting with excitement. Dr. Arkos was going to do a star walk with us. The sky was very clear and the moon wasn’t shining so it was easy to see the stars. We went outside and looked at the telescopes that Ryan and some of the astronomers had brought. There were about 70 people there! We took the iPads and saw planets, stars and a lot of amazing things. My partner was Jada. We had a great time. After we finished doing our star walk and seeing space with the iPads, we all went inside for hot chocolate and cookies. At about ten minutes to ten, most people went outside and saw this astonishing Space Station flying through the sky. I looked away for about two seconds and it was already on the other side of the sky. It was going really fast. Soon, it slowly disappeared. It didn’t really, but we couldn’t see it anymore. My favourite part was seeing the space station go by and seeing Saturn through a telescope. You could actually see the rings of Saturn! I had a wonderful time and I would love to do it again!
Sarah Norman
Grade 3 Student
Guest blogger Catherine :)
I saw an orange and yellow light speeding across the sky so fast! I barely saw it before it disappeared behind a single star. Ryan Clark reckons it was a shooting star. It was very interesting. Through the various telescopes I saw Mars, Venus, Saturn and its rings, Sirius and the Space Station. My favourite star is Sirius because when I gazed through the telescope it looked like a shining disco ball. It was in the Canis Major constellation. I also learned how to find the North Star. The night sky shows that there is much more out there than we can imagine.
Catherine Norman
Grade 5 Student
