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SUMMER SCHOOL ASTRONOMY: WHAT IS LEARNED YOUNG IS LEARNED WELL
Group T Campus is not only associated with solar cars, self-driving electric race cars and enterprising student teams. For numerous young people, the campus now also conjures up images of supernovas, galaxies and exoplanets. During the past 15 years, they took part in the Summer School of Astronomy on campus and fell under the spell of the cosmos.
From 26 to 29 August 2024, 30 students from the last and penultimate year of secondary education were guests at Group T Campus. They preferred to spend their holidays at the university rather than at home or elsewhere to learn as much as they could about the cosmos and all that is and moves in it. They were offered a well-filled programme of lectures, practicals, evening lectures and even a star quiz by the Society for Astronomy.
Forum
The Society for Astronomy, Meteorology, Geophysics and Related Sciences (abbreviated in Dutch as VVS) is a name with fame in Flanders and beyond its borders. Founded in 1944 by a group of amateur astronomers, the society has grown into the pre-eminent astronomical forum in Flanders. The general public knows VVS mainly as the organiser of the Sterrenkijkdagen (Stargazing Days) and the publication of the annual Sky Calendar. When special phenomena occur, such as lunar or solar eclipses or the appearance of a comet, VVS is always on hand to give explanations and make observations at the public observatories.
Wide-branched
“For more than 70 years, we have been bringing together amateur astronomers to observe the moon and planets, photograph nebulae and admire bursting stars,” says chairman Frank Tamsin enthusiastically. “Everyone interested in astronomy and space exploration will find something to their liking: observers of starry skies, eclipse hunters, telescope enthusiasts, would-be spacemen and computer freaks.”
“Our beating heart are the working groups,” continues the chairman. “We count 16 of them on a wide variety of phenomena and areas of study. From Deepsky, spectroscopy and meteorology to eclipses, artificial moons and meteors. The working groups serve their members. Several of our working groups enjoy worldwide renown as an authority in their field.”
Also noteworthy is the firm regional anchoring in Flanders. “With 22 national branches, VVS is never far away,” says the chairman. “Locally, we organise lectures, training evenings and excursions. Often the sections are linked to a people’s observatory. UGent even has its own section in the Faculty of Applied Sciences.”
The supply of new members is ensured by a well-run youth work. “In August 1971, a separate association was set up for young people. This connects everyone in Flanders who is under 21 and interested in astronomy, space or science. The youth association supports local youth sections, organises competitions and publishes its own scientific youth magazine. You could safely call our youth work a breeding ground for future astronomical talent,” Frank Tamsin explains.
Professors
The high mass of youth work is the annual Summer School of Astronomy at Group T Campus. “The Summer School is not a holiday course like the others,” notes Frank Tamsin. “We deliberately put on knowledge transfer coupled with practical exercises. Moreover, we set the bar high. We work exclusively with university professors and, of course, in-house experts. Each lesson or practical is taught by a specialist in the subject matter.”
The lectures cover topics such as the classification of stars, structure and evolution of single stars, binary stars, variable stars, massive stars, supernovae and galaxies. Cosmology is also covered, in particular the origin and evolution of the universe. During the practicals, the youngsters perform spectral analyses of stars, determine the parameters of a spectroscopic binary star, measure the distance to a supernova in the Large Magellanic Cloud, calculate the mass of the black hole at the centre of our Galaxy and investigate the relationship between the brightness of a star and the period with which its light changes.
Total immersion
The Summer School participants stayed in Leuven for three days and nights. This meant that activities were planned not only during the day but also in the evening. This year the programme included two evening lectures on gravitational waves and meteorites. The 2024 edition concluded with a quiz night, about astronomy of course.
The success of the Summer School is not only a boost for the society, it also proves that there is a need for it. “In primary and secondary education, there is very little focus on astronomy,” concludes Frank Tamsin. “Even in the STEM subjects or STEM orientations, it is rare to look beyond what is happening on our planet. While the Earth is just a tiny speck in an expanding universe that, thanks to the work of cosmologists and astronomers, is giving up more and more of its secrets. Young people who are fascinated by this deserve our support and encouragement.”
Yves Persoons
