Igniting Curiosity: A Planetarium Adventure with Girls in STEM

This week, the Girls in STEM Club launched into an exciting exploration of the solar system using the newly installed Planetarium at the Discovery Science and Technology Centre.

The session began with a fun quiz to test their knowledge of Earth, covering key facts such as its spherical shape, the presence of one moon (possibly formed by a collision with an asteroid), and the abundance of water, of which only 3% is drinkable.  They also explored the unique conditions that make Earth habitable, including its atmosphere and temperature.

Using the Digistar7 program, Briga guided the girls on a virtual journey through the solar system.  They began with Mars, learning that its red colour comes from iron oxide in the soil.  The girls were fascinated to discover that Mars hosts the largest volcano in the solar system, a vast canyon ten times the size of the Grand Canyon, and evidence of ancient rivers.  Mars’ thin, carbon dioxide-rich atmosphere and cold temperatures also sparked their curiosity.

They then moved on to Jupiter, the gas giant composed of hydrogen and helium, the same elements as the Sun.  They learned that Galileo Galilei was among the first to study Jupiter through a telescope.  A cross-section view revealed the planet’s inner structure too.

To conclude the session, each student used the Celestia program to research the planets at their own pace and gained hands-on experience operating Digistar7, building both confidence and curiosity in space science.

It was a dynamic, engaging session that brought space learning to life in a truly immersive way.