Planetarium and Moon Watch

 In October, Culcheth High School’s Science Department teamed up with Science and Technology Facilities Council to provide our annual Community Moon Watch Event. This was a spectacular extravaganza of all things to do with the moon, from the loan of real lunar and meteorite samples (from STFC) and giving the school’s telescopes an airing, to flying through the Solar System using NASA’s Solar System Eyes software, building and testing straw rockets and model moons. We also explored how craters are formed and how rocket boosters work. There were a number of competitions on the night with prizes being given throughout.

Despite the day being wet and no moon visible (stopping us using the telescopes), this didn’t hamper the event as there were so many other things to explore. Feedback from the night was great with over 200 attending including Gorse Covert Beavers, and friends and family from the community.

If you have your own telescope that you want to get the best out of, or fancy doing some more star gazing events, Liverpool Astronomical Society have lots of information on their website and meetings you can attend. Visit https://liverpoolas.org/ for more information.

In the run up to this wonderful evening, Year 9 also undertook a space project, exploring everything from why we have day, night, seasons and years to the mind-boggling scale of the solar system. This fantastic two-week project finished with a visit to a planetarium in school. It was fantastic to see how enthusiastic students were.

Many thanks to all attended.