Barry Comprehensive School

Mr Peacock and members of the Astronomy Club with their new telescope

Pupils at Barry Comprehensive School will have stars in their eyes this term as the school receives a free telescope which the Physics Department bid for as part of the International Year of Astronomy.

The telescope, given to the school by the Society for Popular Astronomy, will be used to study the Moon and other celestial wonders. It will make the moon appear 60 times closer, and under good conditions can reveal galaxies at least 50 million light years away. The telescope will show the rings of Saturn and the major satellites of Jupiter.

The telescope will be loaned out to members of the astronomy club who are working towards a GCSE in Astronomy. It is run by Mr Peacock for Year 10 and 11 every Wednesday lunchtime in room 111. There is no obligation to do the GCSE, but the option is there if pupils want to take the subject further. This is also a good way to get people excited about Physics and Astronomy and go on to do Physics A-level in the sixth form.

The International Year of Astronomy is being held to celebrate the 400th anniversary of the first astronomical use of a telescope, in 1609. Thomas Harriot in England and Galileo in Italy both observed the Moon with the newly invented instrument. Galileo's discoveries in particular helped to convince people that the Earth is not the centre of the Universe.

Tue, 08 Sep 2009