Seeing the Sun in a new light

We aim to raise awareness of the Sun as a star, and the Earth as a planet, and the astrophysical processes affecting them and us. The further aim is to grow general interest in science among people who may not otherwise have come into contact with science. The Stoke-on-Trent region in particular has a chronically poor history of educational achievement, and we aim to improve this by engaging all sections of society in accessible science activities (meeting them in the street, and taking as little as a minute of their time).

The impact will be a raised awareness of the nature of the Sun and its relation with Earth, among an audience who would not have taken steps to find out for themselves; an appreciation for science and its relevance to society; increased participation in higher education.

We will write an article for the Astronomy & Geophysics magazine of the Royal Astronomical Society, and for the Institute of Physics. In these articles we will not only describe the motivation behind the project, the design and delivery, but also an evaluation including results and experiences. We will also work with media to promote and disseminate the event via radio, TV and newspapers. Keele University have recently contracted a PR agency (McCann) to help with such activities.

The sun goggles, with brief instructions about how to watch the Sun safely and links to on-line material, will be distributed among children who look through the solar telescope when we take it to the streets.

The information pack (mainly for teachers and the media) will be made downloadable (for free) from the Keele Observatory website - http://www.astro.keele.ac.uk/Observatory - where also news items on the events will be kept available as well as links to the aforementioned articles. We will place time-lapse movies made through the telescope on YouTube.

We will offer schools the use of the solar telescope under our supervision (for safety reasons), to be charged for expenses only. We welcome collaborative incentives with other parties including other physics or astrophysics departments in the UK. While the solar telescope is in residence, visitors to Keele Observatory will be shown and explained the equipment, and be allowed a view of the Sun through it (during clear days). The big display will be mounted in the public exhibition hall of the Sustainability Hub, only a minute walk away from Keele Observatory - this means that visitors coming to learn about astronomy will also learn about environmental science, and vice versa, thus further broadening the spectrum of science they all experience.