Twinkle Twinkle little star. Let's find out how far you are.

This project is to practically allow primary pupils to have a better understanding of research into supernovae and how to measure extremely large distances which is carried out in the Astronomy Group at the University of Southampton.

One of the drivers behind this project is to explore the ideas of scientific models. Scientific models are used widely in Space Science to explain evidence collected. The project uses models in a practical way to develop better understanding of things which are often difficult to comprehend like the solar system, moon phases, positions of stars and galaxies in the universe. Pupils at the end of primary are generally just beginning to understand the use of scientific models and find them helpful. It has a simple focus on what each model is and isn't showing us.

We will offer a seminar at the annual ASE conference explaining the project and reflecting on its strengths and any weaknesses. We will describe the project to schools on our website, offering to answer any questions, update our information on the research project and continue to make the workshop available to schools.