Nebulae and Night Skies: Girls in STEM Go Galactic

The Girls in STEM Club continued their exploration of the night sky with an engaging session at the Planetarium of the Discovery Science and Technology Centre, focusing on constellations and the wonders of the universe.  The session began with an insightful look at how different cultures interpret the stars.  Participants learned how Australia’s First Nations peoples used constellations for navigation and storytelling, while Roman mythology inspired legendary constellations such as Scorpio chasing Orion, along with formations like the Southern Cross and Centaurus.

The girls explored astronomical phenomena including stellar nurseries (nebulae) such as the Messier and Crab Nebulae.  They learned how stars end their life cycles in massive explosions called supernovae, sometimes resulting in black holes.  The dramatic concept of spaghettification, the stretching of matter in a black hole’s gravity, captured everyone's imagination.  The vast scale of the universe was brought to life with facts like it taking one trillion light years to cross the Milky Way.  They also learned about the Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB), the leftover radiation from the Big Bang, and the existence of ancient galaxy clusters.

Using iPads with the Stellarium app, girls were challenged to locate Orion and Crab Nebula, and to identify which planets were visible now in the night sky (Uranus and Venus).  This hands-on activity sparked curiosity and provided a deeper understanding of astronomical observation.

The session successfully combined cultural knowledge, scientific facts, and technology, inspiring the girls to further explore astronomy and pursue pathways in STEM.  It was an exciting step in nurturing their passion for science and space exploration.