Chile has the most privileged skies in the planet: currently there are in the country 50% of the telescopes in the world, and within a decade it will be 70%. This pride of place in world astronomy and the new discoveries that come from observing the universe should encourage us to know the skies better. How do we undestand what we see daily when the moon shines, the sun goes down or there is a sea of stars above us? Why and in which ways do these phenomenons affect our daily lives, our understanding of the universe and about who we were, are and will become as a specie? Which are the tools and instruments to better communicate and educate about these issues?
These are the questions, among many others, that the Getting close to the stars course addresses, in a way that the citizens become familiar with the everyday phenomenos such as eclipses, comets, the tide and the sea, super moons, and at the same time outlining the times and distances involved in the cosmos through everyday sitautions and analogies.
The course has been prepared by astronomer José Maza, National Exact Sciences Award of Chile recipient who has a renowned trajectory as an educator and promulgator of astronomy. In his work "Somos polvo de estrellas" from 2017, Maza claims :"Every atom that composes your body, friendly reader and mine, for that matter, except hydrogen have been fabricated inisde a star" which is why this formative experience brings us closer to the stars in the sense that it allows us to better understand our humanity.
This course is aimed at students and teachers of primary education and high school as well as mohters and fathers, guardians and involved parties alike; in short at everybody in the populace that is interested in having an integral and sceintific formation in Astronomy, with the purpose of giving them elements that allow them to contribute in their professional and personal lives.
16 сен 2024
