Armagh Observatory and Planetarium has announced that a number of family friendly events will take place on site as part of NI Science Festival 2023 from 16th to 26th February.
These include:
The NISF23 Shoot for the Stars: Astronomy Careers Event, which will take place on 16th February. Hosted in conjunction with School Employer Connections, this hour-long event will help those interested in pursuing a career in astrophysics or STEM to identify a career path.
Armagh Observatory and Planetarium’s resident astronomers, Dr. Erin Higgins, PDRA, and Dr. David Eden, Öpik Fellow, will share their career roadmaps and experiences. This will be followed by a Q&A session in which young people can ask the experts everything, from how they first got into astronomy to their best advice for aspiring astronomers!
This event is suitable for secondary school pupils. Children aged 16 and under must be accompanied by an adult.
The NISF23 Stargazing Special – From Mercury with Love event, which will take place on 23rd February. Suitable for adults and children aged over 8, this Star Tracker evening will be hosted by Dr Rok Nezic, who will deliver his From Mercury with Love talk. Visitors will then enjoy a Queen Music Dome show and engage in live stargazing through Armagh Observatory and Planetarium’s telescopes (weather permitting.)
The 45 minute NISF23 Little Astronomers event, which will take place on 24th February. Suitable for children under 5, the 15 minute toddler Dome Show will transport your mini astronomers into the exciting world of science. Featuring Astronaut George, the Dome Show investigates the best planet to live on and the dangers lurking on other planets in our Solar System.
The show will be followed by hands-on activities and exploration of Armagh Observatory and Planetarium’s state of the art sensory room.
The NISF23 Relaxed Afternoon at the Planetarium event, which will take place on 24th February. Suitable for families, this event will see visitors enjoy a relaxed Dome Show at the Planetarium. Titled Perfect Little Planet, the show will take visitors on the ultimate space vacation, as they discover our Solar System from a new perspective.
In the show, a family from another star system seek the perfect vacation spot as they fly over the surface of Pluto, our best known Dwarf Planet, dive down the ice cliffs of Miranda, sail through the rings of Saturn, encounter lightning storms on Jupiter and walk on the surface of Mars.
Entry will include access to the sensory room and exhibition area.
The NISF23 Dragons’ Tails Foraging Afloat & Balor’s Eye and South African Starlore event, which will take place on 25th February. Suitable for those aged 14 and above, this hour-long event will see visitors join the University of Cambridge’s Dr Sharon Arbuthnot and the South African Astronomical Observatory’s Dr Daniel Cunnama for two astronomy-themed discussions.
Dr Arbuthnot will explore how we engaged with astronomy and astrology in the past, looking at how early medieval writers observed the movements of the stars and recorded how they had seen ‘dragons’ in the sky. She will also consider how names for all sorts of astronomical phenomena – from the Great Bear to the Milky Way – have evolved over the years.
Science Engagement Astronomer, Dr Cunnama, will use starlore to explain Africa’s long and rich relationship with astronomy. With many different languages spoken across various regions in South Africa, Dr Cunnama will place language and the tradition of storytelling in an intergenerational context.
Ria Mee, Senior Education Officer at Armagh Observatory and Planetarium, says, “We are very much looking forward to welcoming visitors to a series of exciting and family friendly events as part of NI Science Festival 2023.
“Armagh Observatory and Planetarium is a leading centre for astronomical research, and we are passionate about harnessing our knowledge to engage and inspire NI’s future STEM leaders with compelling content and experiences.”
