Sharing Stars

Galilean Nights Observation at Loulé

2009-10-22T09:06:00.000-07:00

On the night of October 23rd at Escola Secundária de Loulé, the population can watch Jupiter and the Moon at Escola Secundária de Loulé. The observatio will start at 21h00.

This observation will be included on the International Astronomy Year 2009 (http://www.astronomy2009.org/).

The analematic sundial is finally finished

2009-06-07T02:17:00.000-07:00

Today we have finished our sundial at Escola Secundária de Loulé. Students and teachers have tested it all day long and have concluded that it was well built up.

Astronomical Observation at Escola Secundária de S. Lourenço (Portalegre)

2009-05-29T02:18:00.000-07:00

On the 28th of May Escola Secundária de Loulé's Astronomy group has promoted an astronomical observation at Escola Secundária de S. Lourenço in Portalegre.

National eTwinning Meeting at Batalha (May 9th)

2009-05-11T02:21:00.000-07:00

Escola Secundária de Loulé's students built a sundial at Batalha during the National eTwinning Meeting.

Alexandre Costa, the teacher, did some planetarium sessions for students present with a portable Starlab planetarium.

Astronomical Observation at Ponte de Sor (May 5th, 2009)

2009-05-06T00:22:00.000-07:00

Escola Secundária de Loulé's Astronomy club promoted an astronomical observation at Escola EB 2,3 João Pedro de Andrade, at Ponte de Sor, on May 5th, 2009. Ponte de Sor is North of Loulé and about 360 km away.

The Moon in the telescope

The observations were very nice and lots of people from school and local population were there.

Lots of people were at the observation

You can see some more pictures at

http://picasaweb.google.com/alexandrejcosta/ObservacaoPonteDeSor2009#

Astronomical Exhibition at Ponte de Sor

2009-05-05T02:26:00.000-07:00

During the exchange work with students and teachers at Ponte de Sor there was an exhibition about celeestaila objects and also about constellations to be presented to the community.

Here are some images of the exhibition.

Pictures about celestial objects with explanations

Some posters about constellations

Some more posters about constellations

A zoom into one of the constellation posters

Sundial is now starting to be painted

2009-05-05T02:25:00.000-07:00

Our students partially painted the analematic sundial this morning. The picture above is the present result.

Making the marks for an analematic sundial at Escola Secundária de Loulé

2009-04-15T02:28:00.000-07:00

Today students worked on the positions of the hours and the gnomon position scale for an analematic sundial to be built in our school yard at Escola Secundária de Loulé. Here are some images.

Marking the North-South axis

Marking the afternoons' hours positions

Marking the morning hours' positions

With all marks concluded

International Year of Astronomy 2009 is here

2009-01-01T02:32:00.000-08:00

January 1 of 2009 brings with it the International Year of Astronomy, a worldwide celebration commemorating Galileo Galilei's first astronomical observation through a telescope.

The International Year of Astronomy 2009 (IYA2009) has been launched by the International Astronomical Union (IAU) and the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) under the theme, "The Universe, yours to discover". Thousands of IYA2009 events are described on the national websites, as well as on astronomy2009.org, and a few of the global projects are listed here.

The official IYA2009 Opening Ceremony will take place in Paris on 15 and 16 January 2009, and the press is invited to attend. It will feature keynote speakers, including Nobel Laureates, and live video feeds to scientists working in remote locations. Many nations are holding their own Opening Ceremonies in January and February, showing their dedication to the Year. But events will begin before then. Don't be surprised to see telescopes on the streets on New Year's Day. The IYA2009 Solar Physics Group have been busy planning a grand worldwide campaign, with over 30 countries involved at more than 150 venues, which will see amateur stargazers set up their telescopes on pavements as well as in science centres, letting passers-by observe the Sun using special safety equipment.

eTwinning Happy New Year from Portugal

2009-01-01T01:34:00.000-08:00

Merry Christmas from Loulé

2008-12-24T02:35:00.000-08:00

Students from Loulé visit the CosmoCaixa Planetarium (Barcelona, Spain)

2008-12-17T02:36:00.000-08:00

Images of the features projected on the Planetarium

As part of a schooltrip to Cordoba, Barcelona, Valencia and Granada, all cities in Spain, the portuguese students from Escola Secundária de Loulé went on the 16 December 2008 to the Planetarium at CosmoCaixa Barcelona.

Our school - Escola Secundária de Loulé

2008-10-04T14:38:00.000-07:00

Our Geographic Coordinates (24Set2008)

2008-09-24T14:35:00.000-07:00

Today at Escola Secundária de Loulé students made a GPS activity. They have measured our geographic coordinates and obtained our coordinates: Latitude-37°8'33.01" N; Longitude - 8°1'3.56" W.

Studenst also learned the proinciples of the GPS system functioning and how to navigate using a GPS receptor.

The sunset on September 23rd

2008-09-24T09:35:00.000-07:00

We took pictures of the Sunset on September 23rd (equinox day) in order to allow us to see the way sunsets change along the year.

Using the ancient way to find latitude (23Set2008)

2008-09-23T14:39:00.000-07:00

Students have used the shadow of a pole to measure their local latitude.

Today the Sun is precisely over the Equator and therefore we can use the sahadow produced by a pole a noon to measure the latitude. The angle that the shadow produces at the top of the pole will be exactly the same as the latitude of the place.

Our students have obtained a latitude of 37º N. The fact that it is in the northern hemisphere was deduced by the fact that the shadow was produced in that direction (confirmed by a compass) which means that the Sun is South of the place.

Astronomical observation at Escola Secundária de Loulé (30-05-2008)

2008-05-31T00:48:00.000-07:00

Last night students from Escola Secundária de Loulé's Astronomy Club joined to make an astronomical observation. M13, M57, Saturn and it's moon Titan, Jupiter and it's four galilean moons were some of the objects that could be seen in the sky.

This astronomical observation is also part of the project PVI-310 "Por trás do céu azul" of Program Ciência Viva.

Escola Secundária de Loulé's students that made the wind tunnel create website

2008-05-24T12:41:00.000-07:00

The Escola Secundária de Loulé's students that made the wind tunnel have created a website to expose part of their work and results at http://aerodinamica.no.sapo.pt. As a task in progress the website already contains the essencial information (website-in Portuguese)

Developing contents from Project's work

2008-05-02T12:43:00.000-07:00

Today students from Escola Secundária de Loulé have been working in class making project activities using ICT. Here is a picture of some of them working.

Astronomical Observation in Escola Secundária de Loulé-23/04/2008

2008-04-24T11:46:00.000-07:00

Last night there was an astronomical observation at Escola Secundária de Loulé.

The sky was very clear and it was possible to see Saturn, Mars, M13 (Hercules Globular Cluster), M42 (Orion Nebula), M44 (Open Cluster-Praesepe-Latin name for "manger") and several other stars. The Moon was rising when the observation ended.

E.S.Loulé Students build a wind tunnel

2008-04-21T22:26:00.000-07:00

A group of students from Escola Secundária de Loulé is finishing to build a wind tunnel to make aerodynamic studies on cars, airplaines and spacecraft models.

This group formed by Miguel Rocheta, Pedro Santos, Soraia Guerreiro, Tiago Santos and Pedro Costa is now testing the wind flux in order to guarantee proper conditions for measurements.

Working on the webpages and blog 18-04-2008

2008-04-18T15:50:00.000-07:00

The Friday meeting of the Astronomy Club is a time for working on project activities.

The image is an example of informal work on the webdesign of the solar system webpages.

Astronomical Observation in Loulé -11/04/2008

2008-04-12T10:54:00.000-07:00

Last night there was an astronomical observation at Escola Secundária de Loulé.

The sky was usually clear but with some occasional clouds. A crescent Moon was the first object to be observed. It was possible to see Saturn, Mars, M42 (Orion Nebula), Mizar and Alcor, The double star Polaris and several other stars. The adult students from the school's night classes had a chance to see the Moon and Saturn.

Help Move An Asteroid and Other Space-Related Opportunities

2008-04-10T22:22:00.000-07:00

Source: Space Generation Advisory Council

If you’ve got some ideas about how to deflect an asteroid or comet heading towards Earth, there’s an opportunity out there to have your concept reviewed by some of the world’s top astronomers and physicists. The only restriction is that you must be a student or a young professional under the age of 33. (read more)

Galileo Returns to the Vatican

2008-03-31T16:08:00.000-07:00

Source: Universe Today
Image: Galileo, oil painting by Justus Sustermans, 1637; in the Uffizi Gallery, Florence

Four centuries after Galileo Galilei was ordered by the Catholic Church to come to Rome and stand trial on suspicion of heresy, a statue of the Italian astronomer will be erected at the Vatican. 2009 is the International Year of Astronomy, which celebrates 400 years since Galileo first used a telescope to study the heavens, and the Vatican plans to join in commemorating the anniversary. Galileo was condemned to house arrest by the Catholic Church in 1633 because his belief that the sun was at the center of the solar system, and not the Earth, contradicted the bible.
(more…)

Working on the webpages and blog-29-03-2008

2008-03-30T15:28:00.000-07:00

Students of Escola Secundária de Loulé were working in the classroom creating contents for the blog and webpages. Though most of the work on these sections is extracurricular this was a classroom activity. The topic gravitation was a pretext for studying the tides and planetary motion.

First Star

2008-03-29T15:40:00.000-07:00

This blog is a joint venture between Escola Secundária de Loulé (Portugal) and ITI e Liceo Tecnologico "G. Cardano (Italy).
It intends to be a place where people involved in the eTwinning project "Sharing Stars" post topics related to the project.