School activities

MOVIE + EXPLANATION OF HEAVEN
The planetarium session consists of several parts. Initially we perform an astronomical projection and then we explain the sky with the simulator. We will see a reproduction of the sky seen at Montsec during the night of the day of the visit. We will highlight the
planets and the brightest stars as well as the different constellations that are visible. In addition, the simulator will allow us to travel in time and space to see how the visible objects in the sky change over the hours and days or also according to the area of the Earth where we are. We will have the opportunity to see some of the planets of the Solar System up close and learn about the details that make them more special. We will also be able to travel beyond the limits of the Solar System and discover some of the secrets that are hidden in the far reaches of the Universe.
Finally we will contemplate the secret that hides the planetarium and that makes it unique in the world!
Below is a brief summary of the screenings you can choose from:

VOYAGER

During the second half of the 20th century, as part of the space race, great advances were made in the exploration of outer space. In 1977 NASA sent the Voyager probes into space that explored the planets Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune. Thanks to the information provided by Voyager we will discover some curiosities about these planets and some of their satellites. However, Voyager’s journey is not over. What will they find beyond the Solar System?

CAP COM GO

On July 20, 1969, the first astronauts arrived on the Moon. It was a historical milestone. Now, what steps were taken
beforehand in order for the mission to be a success? What difficulties had to be overcome? Was it the only trip to the moon? In this magnificent documentary we will discover in more detail the great history of the Apollo missions.

5000 EYES: MAPPING THE UNIVERSE WITH DESI

Light is the main source of information we have from the vast majority of celestial bodies and we can collect it thanks to the use of telescopes that are located in the darkest places on Earth. For example, in Arizona we find the Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument (DESI) which collects the information that comes from millions and millions of galaxies. We will discover some of its technical details and we will also see the testimony of some of the scientists who make its operation possible.

PIRINEUS LA NUIT

In some of the most remote valleys of the Pyrenees you can still contemplate the incredible beauty of the night sky. On the other hand, in large cities, the excess of artificial light causes negative effects beyond the impossibility of seeing a truly dark sky. In this documentary we will discover the causes behind light pollution and how we can illuminate cities more intelligently to mitigate its effects in the context of climate change that affects us.

UNVEILING THE INVISIBLE UNIVERS

Since ancient times, humans have been interested in observing the sky. However, with the naked eye we can observe only a very small part of the Universe. Since the introduction of the first telescopes in the 17th century, we have been able to learn about many of the elements that make it up, which would otherwise be invisible to our eyes. So, we will see in more detail the operation of these instruments and also some of the celestial bodies and the most spectacular phenomena that telescopes have allowed us to discover.

WE ARE STARS

Have you ever wondered what we are made of? What is the origin of all things? In a simple tent in the middle of an amusement park we can find the answers to these questions. We will take a journey through the history of the Universe from its beginnings to the present day. We will discover how the first atoms were formed, the birth of stars, nuclear fusion, supernovae, the origin of life and its evolution. Are you joining us?

TO SPACE AND BACK

In recent decades, the development of new technologies has allowed us to advance our knowledge of the Universe. However, did you know that these technologies have other applications beyond space exploration? We will discover how all these elements, which were initially designed by the observation of the Universe, play a very prominent role in our daily life.

DAWN OF THE SPACE AGE

What was the first artificial satellite around the Earth? When did man reach the moon? From the second half of the 20th century, great advances were made in the space race in the context of the Cold War. In this session we will see its evolution from the launch of the first artificial satellite, Sputnik, to the present day through events such as the first trips outside the Earth’s atmosphere or the arrival of man in the Moon in the well-known Apollo missions.

STARS

Why do the stars shine? How is its evolution from formation to its end? The planetarium will bring us closer to knowing what the stars are like, the great energy factories of the Universe. We will be able to see how the biggest ones end their lives in a big explosion that we call Supernova or how some live grouped together forming clusters. We will also see how astronomy has evolved throughout history and learn about some of the most mysterious elements of the Universe.

EVOLUTION

From the Big Bang to the present day, the Universe has evolved continuously. From the formation of the first atoms through the birth of the first stars, their grouping into clusters and galaxies… Planets have formed around some of these stars, such as Earth, a planet that has has been changing over time and that has allowed a great particularity, the presence of LIFE. How did life originate and how has it evolved over time following the rules of evolution?

NATURAL SELECTION

At the beginning of the 19th century, science was making progress, but much of the knowledge we have today had not yet been formulated. For example, at that time it was believed that the existence of the Earth was only a few thousand years. In this context, a young Charles Darwin embarks on board the HMS Beagle, a ship of the British navy with which he will circumnavigate the world. We will accompany Darwin on this journey where he will get to know in more detail species that live in places far from his native England, such as the Galapagos Islands, and which will allow him to formulate his theory of natural selection.

In this session we will deepen our knowledge of the night sky with the planetarium simulator. We will see a reproduction of the sky seen at Montsec during the night of the day of the visit. We will highlight the brightest planets and stars as well as the different constellations that are visible. In addition, the simulator will allow us to travel in time and space to see how the visible objects in the sky change over the hours and days or also according to the area of the Earth where we are. At the same time, we will make an introduction to celestial coordinates. We will have the opportunity to see some of the planets of the Solar System up close and learn about the details that make them more special and we will learn about some of the stages of the evolution of a star’s life as well as the objects that star in them. We will also be able to travel beyond the limits of the Solar System and discover some of the secrets that are hidden in the far reaches of the Universe. Finally we will contemplate the secret that hides the planetarium and that makes it unique in the world!

LET'S OBSERVE THE SUN

Even if it seems a little strange, we can also do astronomy during the day. In this case the observation focuses on the only star we can see, the Sun. We will visit the telescope park and show the instruments used for solar observation. We will comment in detail on the main characteristics of the Sun and discover what its structure is. For centuries we have known that the Sun shows signs of activity such as, for example, the presence of spots, faculae and/or flashes. Therefore, we will explain the reason for their presence and try to observe some of them live.

THE NIGHT OF THE STARS (NIGHT OBSERVATION)

When it is night in Montsec, the best sky in Catalonia, we can discover in great detail all kinds of astronomical objects, be it the Moon, planets such as Jupiter and Saturn, stars or more distant and mysterious objects such as nebulae or galaxies. So, we will visit the telescope park and, combining observation with the naked eye with the use of telescopes, we will get to know some of these mysterious objects in more depth.

THE MEASURE OF THE EARTH

More than 2,200 years ago, Eratosthenes discovered that in the city of Siena (present-day Aswan) no shadow was visible around June 21, while in Alexandria, where he lived, it was visible every day of the year. With this information and measuring the length of the shadows in Alexandria he found a method to calculate the radius of the Earth. With a simple stick and some tables we can repeat this historical measurement and determine what the size of the Earth is.

WHERE ARE THE GALAXIES?

The vast majority of stars in the universe are part of galaxies, such as our Milky Way. Now, what is the structure of a galaxy? How are they classified? We will answer some of these questions and, with a simple practical exercise, we will roughly calculate the distance between the Milky Way and other distant galaxies.

THE HISTORY OF THE UNIVERSE

The Universe has evolved since its formation, some 13.8 billion years ago, until today. We will discover what its stages have been from the appearance of the first particles to the present day through the formation of the Solar System or the first forms of life. Have you ever wondered what an inflating balloon and our Universe have in common?

LET'S BREAK DOWN THE LIGHT

What is light? What are its main characteristics? Why is it of particular interest to astronomers? Already in the 18th century, Newton discovered that white light is composed of light of various colors. With the help of a simple spectrograph, which we will build on site, we will answer some of the questions raised and discover what the spectrum of light is from different sources such as, for example, light bulbs or fluorescent tubes.