Astronomy Club Christmas Lecture
Inspired by the Royal Institution, which has been running science lectures for a young audience since 1825, the Warminster School Astronomy Club presented their own version of the Seasonal Lectures to an audience of 200 in The Thomas Arnold Hall on Monday 1st December. Pupils from Year 5 to the Upper Sixth made up the audience, along with staff from a variety of departments.
Starting off with a 'fly-by' of the planets, the lecture was entitled The Formation of the Solar System and was presented by twelve young astronomers. Mrs Catherine Wilson introduced the event and presented the speakers who not only presented fabulous photographs and detailed information but worked with members of the young audience to present demonstrations on accretion, fusion, volcanoes and density. The popular demonstration – the scale of the Solar System – involved wrapping the entire audience in brown paper! The lecture included surprise questions from the audience to the Astronomy Club members and concluded with a quick-fire quiz.
The Astronomy Club members not only researched the lecture but took part in testing and refining the practical demonstrations, as well as setting up the filming using both the webcam and the video camera. Those involved in this very successful presentation were: Adrian Duly, Emily Storey-Walker, Michael Stadelmaier, Paulius Mickevicius, Fjodor Zadonski, Michael Addae-Kumi, Michelle Addae-Kumi, Augusta Schultz-Utermoehl, Daniil Chernat, Thomas Carley, Mark Antrobus and Jonathan Kirrage. Sincere thanks go to Science Technician Helen Brown, who supported the preparation and presentation throughout and played a vital part in the success of the lecture. The club hopes to present the second seasonal lecture at Easter. Preparations are already underway under the heading Exploration of the Solar System. A particular focus will be the use of robots in space.
Interest in the club continues to grow. Astronomy sessions take place every week and include star gazing, experimental work and keeping up-to-date with the latest news from the ESA and NASA. For more information about astronomy at Warminster School, contact Mrs Catherine Wilson.