Gazing at the midday stars

Students at Weymouth Consolidated School were introduced to the wonders of the night sky last week through an inflatable planetarium called ‘Starlab’.

On loan from Digby Regional High, Starlab is a dome shaped tent that allows simulated stargazing and provides an ideal way to teach students about constellations and planets in a controlled environment.

Tri-Country Regional School Board literacy consultant Kathy Stockman was at the school Tuesday and Wednesday to give the presentation.

“Starlab is an ideal way to get the students interested in stargazing,” said Stockman. “It readily transfers to real life stargazing for students and their families.”

Stockman said teachers often have difficulty finding an effective way to enhance student appreciation of constellations and planets.

“It is nearly impossible to organize a real stargazing setting during class time and Starlab solves the problem,” she said.

Students were given information about a few common constellations such as Orion, Cassiopeia and Taurus before entering the dome. Once inside, students were shown how to find common constellations and were provided with some tips for star identification.

Students were then treated to stories of the heroes and monsters given as an explanation for the constellations through Greek mythology.

Even the youngest students were enthusiastic to learn about red, blue and yellow stars.

For the younger students, Stockman acknowledges that being in the dark can be a bit frightening so she brought along ‘Floppy’ the dog to help calm any nervous youngster.

“The students are so excited to go inside the dome that they quickly overcome any fear of the dark and settle down to watch the stars and listen to stories,” she said.

Stockman has been involved with Starlab for 15 years and enjoys her presentations to different schools.

“I really enjoy giving the Starlab presentation. When you see the excitement on students’ faces and hear it in their voices, you know it has been a success.”

On Wednesday, many students were able to report successfully sighting the real Orion the previous night after Stockman’s lesson.

Starlab is easily assembled and can be quickly set up in a school gym, and Stockman says any teacher with a little practice can do it.