在这里，追“星” | 双语部一年级北京天文馆之旅

带着这些疑问，上周四，北京王府外国语小学双语部一年级的同学们走进了北京天文馆，探索变换莫测的星体与星系，与神秘的宇宙来了一场零距离的相遇。

The vast universe and the vast starry sky hide endless mysteries. How did the universe form? What information does the nebula offer us? With these questions in mind, last Thursday, the grade 1 students from the PYP department of Beijing Royal Foreign Languages School visited the Beijing Planetarium. There, the students explored the unpredictable stars and galaxies, and had a close encounter with the mysterious universe.

　　此次探究出游活动与同学们正在学习的“世界如何运作”这一主题下“自然循环”这一探究线索紧密结合，出行之前，同学们在课上已经学习了地球的自转以及太阳系，了解了白天和黑夜的周期和原理等知识。

This field trip was closely connected with the first LOI (natural cycles) of the UOI unit – “How the world works” that the students are learning. Before the trip, students had already studied the rotation of the Earth and the solar system. They also  understood the cycle of day and night.

北京天文馆分A馆和B馆，两馆一新一旧，相映成趣。这两座相隔近半个世纪的建筑以一种极具冲击力的视觉语言，娓娓道来天文学的故事，诉说着天文学的魅力。

简单休整以后，孩子们首先开启了B馆的探索之旅。

The Beijing Planetarium has two parts: Hall A and Hall B. The two halls, one new and one old, complement each other. The two buildings with different architectural styles, narrate the stories about astronomy in an extremely visual way. And they are telling the students about the charm of astronomy.

After a brief rest, the students first started the exploration tour in Hall B.

“星星相伴”滑梯瞬间吸引了孩子们的眼球。

The “With the Stars” slide instantly attracted the students’ attention.

The Sun Family

The sun is the center of the solar system. The solar system is a collection of the sun and all celestial bodies bound by the sun’s gravity. It includes 8 stars, 5 dwarf planets, at least 165 natural satellites, and hundreds of millions of small solar system celestial bodies. The eight planets are an important type of celestial bodies in the solar system. Judged by their distance from the sun, the eight planets are Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune. Through the exhibitions and displays, the students learned about the different environment, temperature, and quality of each planet. Also, they explored the differences between the earth and other planets.

Land on the moon

At 4:17:42 pm on July 20, 1969, American astronaut Armstrong cautiously stepped his left foot on the surface of the moon. This was the first time that humans have landed on the moon. Because the gravity of the moon’s surface is only one-sixth of  the earth, so it is very hard for astronauts to walk on the moon. Firstly, they would feel floating and unstable. Secondly, because they need to wear the space suit, it would be so hard for them to walk normally. They could only jump like kangaroos. The students experienced the difficulty of exploring the universe through the somatosensory control game of “Walking on the moon”.

Visual feast – wonderful starry sky, mysterious palace

The dome theaters of the Beijing Planetarium can not be missed. Students watched the films – “Palaces in the Heaven” and “Fantastic Starry Sky” in Hall A and Hall B, respectively. A visual feast about the dazzling starry sky was demonstrated in front of the students’ eyes.

古代的人间帝国被映射到天空，从宫殿到粮仓、从城市设施到政府机构、从兵营到集市，天上的世界缤纷多彩、热闹非常。

The ancient Chinese mapped the ancient empires to the sky. From palaces to granaries, from urban facilities to government agencies, from barracks to markets, the world in the heaven is colorful and lively.

　　天蝎座、室女座、仙后座，一个个神秘星座的背后似乎还蕴藏着一段段广为人知的美丽故事。

Scorpio, Virgo, and Cassiopeia, each of the mysterious constellations has some well-known beautiful stories.

Endless exploration – looking for another Earth

In the Planetarium, the students got to know the Pioneer and Voyager under the explanation of the tour guide. The four probes launched more than 40 years ago were the farthest spacecrafts which could fly. They flew out of the solar system without hesitation.

同学们还针对“是否应该主动与地外文明联系”这一议题进行了投票，宇宙探索梦想已然种植在同学们的心中。

The students also voted on the issue of “Whether the human beings should take the actions to contact extraterrestrial civilizations”. The small seed of exploring the universe has been planted in the hearts of the students.

此次天文馆实践探究活动在同学们的欢声笑语中画上圆满的句号，一些同学们说长大后想成为一名科学家，去探索太阳系外是否存在更利于人类生存的星球。

The field trip to the planetarium came to a successful end in the laughter of the students. Some students said that when they grow up, they want to become scientists and explore whether there are planets that are more conducive to human survival outside the solar system.

在这里，上九天揽月；在这里，追“星”！

From now on, we chase the stars; Here, we drown in the universe.

▲探究脉冲星