Cambridge University Institute of Astronomy

Toucan Class Reach for the Stars!

Toucan students have written about their trip to the Cambridge University Institute of Astronomy:

Toucan Class and a 200 year old star chart and constellation book

Toucan went to the Cambridge University Institute of Astronomy. A man that worked at the institute, called Matt, taught us that the Moon was made by a planet called Theia banging into the Earth and breaking it into bits, the bigger one became the Earth and the smaller became the Moon. Then he told us about lunar eclipses and the Blood Moon and how it only appears when the moon goes behind the shadow of the Earth. Then he did a demonstration about the distance of the Moon from the Earth with soft toys. When we finished with Matt we went to the library and saw a book that is over 200 years old!!!! The only librarian there was a man called Mark. The book was about star charts and constellations. It had a lot of constellations. The library only had books on Astronomy and space. After we finished in the library we went to look at a really old telescope made out of wood. We did  get to look through that one but it was black. Then with Matt we went and got a look at a more modern telescope and the roof there turned!!!! Then we went back to school. Toucan students had the following to say.

Leila

“I like the telescope because it looks so cool and so big.  The big book, about maps of the stars, was so fun and the pictures were amazing.”

Ron

“I really enjoyed learning about the constellations and what they were. It was really fascinating to learn how far away the moon was from earth. I liked hearing about how old the telescopes were, and seeing the telescopes and how they worked. It was fun when we could ask questions and they always had an answer.” 

Josh

“At Cambridge University Institute of Astronomy I learned how the Moon was created. I  think that the coolest thing that I saw was the extremely big telescope in the observatory and it was as tall as the room it was in. I found out that you have to get rid of the roof to see the stars in the sky. So they did it but we could not see the sky because it was daytime. I liked when we talked about all the planets at the beginning of the trip. “

Aphra

“We went on a field trip today. I really loved the GIANT book, about the stars. I also liked the telescope. I learned that most of the planets had collisions early in their history . The slide  show was cool. We even got to see how the crank opened the roof of the observatory. (I want to go to that university when I'm older).”

Gemma

“I liked the pictures of space on the walls. I learned that all of the planets fit into the space between the Earth and the Moon. It was cool that the roof, of the observatory, spun round.😎 You can open up the roof so the telescope can see out.”

Bodhi

“There used to be more than 100 planets in our solar system, in the beginning. Watching on the television how the moon was made was really cool. I liked looking at the space pictures, and also watching the roof turn at the observatory.”

Ja

“Today Matt and Hannah told us about how the moon was made !!! When Theia crashed into our planet Earth, a little chunk came off . That little chunk is our moon today!! Matt and Hannah shown us their telescopes, that were super cool because you could see the stars, moon, milky way, space station and lots more of amazing planets.”

Arabella

“I found it very cool to see the old fashioned telescope. I found the big book about the stars very fun to learn about. My class went up to the top floor of the observatory and if you pull a leaver and the roof opens.”

Ruby

Toucan class at the Cambridge University Institute of Astronomy