School groups visit HartRAO during World Space Week 2024
HartRAO welcomed four high schools for immersive site tours on 7 and 8 October 2024, during World Space Week.
This week marked an exciting revival of science engagement events at HartRAO, as we welcomed four high schools for immersive site tours on 7 and 8 October 2024.
This coincides with World Space Week (WSW) annually observed from 4-10 October in over 95 nations throughout the world. World Space Week is officially defined as “an international celebration of science and technology”.
The SARAO Science Engagement team has set a timetable of visits to HartRAO throughout this period and beyond; with 60 learners from each participating school. The events are aimed at igniting curiosity and passion for astronomy and space science broadly. These hands-on experiences allow learners to explore our facilities and learn about the incredible research conducted at HartRAO and throughout SARAO broadly.
The success of these tours was made possible through a strong partnership with the Sci-Bono Discovery Centre and the Department of Education. We leverage relationships in this way to advance cost-effectiveness and mutual-benefit outcomes for all organisations involved. Together, we are committed to providing educational opportunities that inspire young minds. This collaboration highlights the importance of community involvement in promoting science literacy and engaging students in STEM fields.
During the tours, students engaged in a variety of interactive activities designed to enhance their understanding of astronomical concepts. They explored the fascinating whisper dishes, experiencing firsthand how sound waves travel and demonstrate principles of acoustics. The focus here was to introduce the learners in very distinct and apparent ways, to the parabolic dish shape, its significance as a reflective surface which also finds expression in how our radio dishes are designed.
Learners also interacted with the Earth globe model to learn about the concepts of day and night, as well as the changing seasons, visually grasping how the Earth’s tilt and orbit around the sun create these phenomena. Moreover, the learners were taken through the analemmatic sundial, where students observed how time can be read based on the Sun’s position and the shadow that is cast at different times.
The experience was further enriched by a visit to the antennas, and all the Geodesy-related infrastructure so that they could understand the significance of theO HartRAO site as a co-location research site with international relevance.
Looking ahead, we are thrilled to announce that more schools will be visiting HartRAO in the coming weeks, with at least 3 visits per week until the end of October 2024. We look forward to welcoming even more young explorers and fostering a love for science in our society and overall scientific literacy so that even those who may not be keen on science as a discipline may understand its importance in society and our daily lives.
