✐ᝰ.ᐟ The universe has countless stories to tell and curious students like me are often stuck with questions like; "How? And Why?" Here are some answers I’ve collected throughout my bountiful experiences, taking me on a ride around the giant world of SCIENCE.
Astronomy, one of my favourite subjects to search for. With everyone gathered in a tiny dome, a projector flashing above, we were able to experience a clear view of the sky and what lies even further. (Unfortunately, I wasn't able to capture pictures since taking pictures weren't allowed during the showing)
Starting with the planets ;
The first thing that was shown was the navigation of each planet. Especially the planets that were visible from earth. Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter and Saturn. We were taken through each planet digitally showing how it would be like to set foot on them.
Following the introduction was the explanation on how everything is connected. The nebula; the birthplace of the stars, to the constellations; the groups of stars that are studied to have their own meanings. These meanings are observed through the outline of the stars representing an animal, mythological subject or an inanimate object, the zodiac signs. To my surprise, supposedly, Earth travels through 13 constellations but the 13th sign was left out due to the stars not being in the same positions as they are in the modern world, so instead, the zodiac was divided into 12 parts resembling the 12 months of the year.
Aries - Ram
Taurus - Bull
Gemini - Twins
Cancer - Crab
Leo - Lion
Virgo - Maiden
Libra - Scales
Scorpio - Scorpion
Sagittarius - Archer
Capricorn - Mountain goat
Aquarius - Water-bearer
Pisces - Fish
The 13th constellation would've been Ophiuchi
Apart from the very visualizing presentation before us was the next booth, revolving around the studies of Climate change. To me, this was the most important part of my experience. It involved ways to convert energy by healthy and eco friendly ways, educating us with the causes of climate change and promoting healthy alternatives for the sake of our Earth.
All my life I was only taught of the 3 R's. Never would I have known about the "5 R's" if it weren't for this day.
The 5 R's include ;
- Reduce - Reuse - Recycle
- Repurpose and - Refuse
Following that discussion was the presentation of the list of the causes of Climate change ;
-Generating power -Manufacturing goods
-Cutting down forests -Using transportation
-Producing food -Powering buildings
-Consuming too much
Actually, from what the speaker explained was that all of these factors are connected, resulting to harsher and everlasting consequences.
While still on the topic of energy, we were able to challenge electrical shock with a little activity involving the cooperation of other people. While holding each other's hands, one person makes contact with a box generating static electricity. After picking up the static electricity, we connected hands once again and a static shock escaped our hands. This is because naturally, electricity always finds a way to flow through conductive objects, and in our demonstration, electricity used our hands and bodies as the conductor, as one person charges their hand with static charge, this person would be stuck with negative charge as all of us following would be neutral. I was expecting the sensation to sting but to my surprise, it felt like a muted buzz, more of a quick tingling sensation. This activity helped me understand the detailed science behind static electricity and electrical conduction.
The last booth was more on the world outside of Earth. Showcasing many interactive subjects revolving space itself. It included the explanation and understanding of Mars and why it is considered a "safer" planet compared to other planets, hence labeled for being "Our secondary planet". We were introduced to live examples of Meteors, Meteorites, Meteoroids and "Perseverance", Mars' Rover.
Meteors - Are the rocks entering the Earth's atmosphere aka "shooting stars"
Meteorites - Are the pieces of meteoroids found inside the Earth
Meteoroids - Are the rocks or bodies outside of the Earth, they exist in space
( Each of which are actually just the same rocks, except their positions or locations determine their classification )
A cased figure of the ISS ( International Space Station ) was up for observation, including a few more interactive figures, with all the lessons we've learnt throughout the day were placed on a table
In conclusion, my experiences during the day was filled with opportunities to learn and to interact with certain Scientific studies. With the new profound connection I gained after the activities, my scope of the universe has never been bigger. We started off strong with astronomy, exploring how things came to be and then connecting the dots to every little factor adding up the universe, to an even deeper look at the struggles our planet Earth has been going through, educating us as the youth, to become better people and to listen to our Earth, to act on our Earth's needs, to establish a healthy relationship with nature. Lastly was the understanding within the planet Mars, along with many other scattered facts and figures on space. Though I wasn't able to try most of the activities, I was able to have my fair share of answers on everything I've once questioned "How? And Why?" .
"Like the connections in the constellations of stars and the energy conductors, let us be one in solving for one common cause — Climate change ; Impacting us all, negatively."
- A curious student, Therese Angelie L. Cañete
