Published
We compile a series of proposals, activities, resources and talks on Astronomy, aimed at children and adults, and thought and organized by different centers, research institutes and scientific communicators.
You can find several proposals of activities in our website, and resources for all ages. We propose two crafts for home; build the Orion constellation in 3D, or play with the Gaia's Memory Game. If you are not that crafty, try these apps to initiate in the world of Astronomy, or visit our YouTube channel where you will find several playlists, including interviews to our researchers, talks made in other institutions, or the scientists who have visited us - among many other things. You can also take a virtual tour of the exhibition "100-year eclipse that gave Einstein a go".
Below you will find proposals and activities from other channels, research centers and institutes, and scientific entities.
For the little ones
- Games to explore the Universe of the UNAWE-CSIC initiative. Launched in 2005, it gathers many activities to bring the Universe's exploration closer to children around the world. We highlight the games they propose, such as the Astronomical Bingo, Cards of the Astronomical Families or the Galactic Dominoes.
- Expedition: Home, the new ESA website with fun and educational tools for kids and families, which features activities for pre-primary, primary and secondary aged students. It includes several materials, such as comic books, short video stories, games, and model to build. We highlight the activities for secondary students, which include a tool for programming a robot to investigate life on Mars or take a picture of Earth from the International Space Station.
- 3 #AstroEnCasa contests. The Astronomical Observatory of the Autonomous University of Madrid (UAM Observatory) has launched three competitions; space drawings, cosmic stories and astro-crafts, open to all ages but especially for the little ones.
- Youtube channel AstronautaLili, with several curricular videos on space sciences to continue educating the youngest. It simulates a space mission through a series of videos on space science and space exploration, so that the smallest of the house continue exploring the Universe during the Covid-19 health alert. Plus, you'll find podcasts, articles and news about the space on her website.
- ESA Kids, the European Space Agency website for children, which includes several resources and activities as articles, videos and explanations on space issues. It also has materials for teachers. We highlight the online games section, especially the videogame Space cleanup.
For the older ones
- 11 initiatives of Citizen Astronomy of the Institute of Astrophysics of the Canary Islands. Both the Institute and the Observatory present a number of citizen science initiatives, from a mobile application for hunting asteroids, to an online laboratory that allows pre-university students to make their own observations.
- AZOTEA project of the Spanish Society of Astronomy, in which anyone who has a digital camera on hand can help monitoring the night sky and measuring the light pollution.
- Free and interactive sessions of #CienciaenConfinament, talks on various scientific topics including astronomy, with extensive programming. You can live stream the sessions, which allow viewers to ask questions directly to the speakers, or retrieve the past ones.
- Virtual tour of the Chajnantor Astronomy Park in the Atacama Desert, Chile, where the ESO (European Southern Telescope) observatory is located. You will find high-definition images, alongside with tabs about the instruments that operate on it. You can also consult the guide of instructions on how to make the tour, on the same web link.
- Generation Solar, new app on solar energy. Developed by the Center for Studies of Science, Communication and Society of the Pompeu Fabra University, this application was born with the intention of creating an international community of owners, users, researchers and companies in the photovoltaic sector. It aims to promoting the use of solar energy and helping researchers to obtain accurate data to generate more appropriate models and contribute to the development of this technology.
- Youtube channel The Triz Bang Theory, created by the astronomer Beatriz Varona. She comments on some of the news or questions related to astronomy that have reached the media. You will also find short videos where she answers to the viewers doubts or questions on several astronomy topics.
- Amateur Astronomy, for those who want to get started in Astronomy. It has articles covering the basics of astronomy, from the difference between astronomy and astrology to tips when observing the sky.