THE COSMIC DOME - Can Visit you!!

How would you like to organise a tour of space for your school? Well, this cosmic dome can be erected in most school halls and can accommodate about 30 children (or 25 adults).

How would you like to organise a tour of space for your school? Well, this cosmic dome can be erected in most school halls and can accommodate about 30 children (or 25 adults).

As well as shows about astronomy, in this magical dark environment we can demonstrate the science and beauty of light and sound. We can present two shows which fit into the 5-14 curriculum: “A Tour of Space” and “Light and Sound Fantastic”. The shows are interactive and are as exciting as possible without losing educational content.

The costs are as follows:-
Whole day of up to 6 shows £240
Half day of up to 3 shows £175

Would you like some more information? Then contact details are:-
Email: gill.russell@abdn.ac.uk
Tel: 01224 274193
Fax: 01224 274190

The dome can be erected in most school halls by the aid of a fan and can accommodate about 30 children (or about 25 adults). A clear clean floor area of 7m by 7m, a ceiling height of 3.5m and two power sockets are required. It is recommended that adults bring along a cushion to sit on!

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As well as shows about astronomy, in this magical dark environment we can demonstrate the science and beauty of light and sound. Two shows are geared towards the 5 - 14 school curriculum: ‘A Tour of Space’ and ‘Light and Sound Fantastic’. The shows can be tailored for any level and can last between 30 and 50 minutes. Although a maximum of 6 shows can be fitted in to the school day, pupils get more out of the visit if the shows are longer and time is allowed for questions. The dome is a very visually stimulating environment, and we make use of this in our demonstrations. We try to make our shows as interactive and exciting as possible without losing educational content. If possible, it is better to round off a topic with the Cosmic Dome visit, so that the pupils have some prior knowledge and can take an active part in the shows. Other shows are available on a variety of astronomical themes.

‘A Tour Of Space’
Summary of concepts: Our Sun is a star-a very important one. The Sun is much closer than the other stars. The Earth spins giving day and night. Earth orbits the Sun and the tilt of the Earth gives us the seasons. The Moon orbits the Earth , shines by reflected light of the Sun and goes through the lunar phases. Planets also orbit the Sun and are very different worlds. Stars have light of their own, planets and moons do not. Ancient people had stories and myths about the constellations and the patterns they saw in the stars. The Milky Way is our home galaxy -our sun is one of the stars in it. Other objects in our galaxy can be seen through telescopes e.g. Star clusters, nebulae. Finish with ‘The Tour’ illustrating the vastness of space.

‘Light and Sound Fantastic!’
Summary of concepts: How do we see light? Sources of light. The Sun. What is sound? Vibrations cause sound. How do we hear it ? Sources of sound. The speed of sound and light. Thunder and lightening. Shadows. Reflections. Coloured light and mixing coloured light. Coloured shadows. Bending light-refraction. Rainbows. Splitting light -the spectrum. Sound: pitch and volume. Sounds travel better through solids than air. Musical instruments. Echoes. Drama of a Storm (interactive)!

28 Jun 2004