In this lesson, you'll use the free planetarium program Stellarium to help students unravel the mystery of the "moving sky."

 

First, you'll show the Sun, Moon, planets, and stars as they appear from the schoolyard—rising, setting, and rotating around the North Star as time advances.

Then, with two clicks, you'll jump into a view from outside the Earth for kids to see how our planet rotates under a fixed starry sky.

As you move between these two perspectives, you will be able to understand that the sky is not moving quickly above us; it is the rotation and orbit of the Earth that creates the movements we observe.

AGE: 8-12 years

KEY COMPETENCES (LOMLOE):

• Competence in science, technology and engineering.
• Personal, social and learning to learn competence.
• Digital competence.

DIDACTIC OBJECTIVES:

• Observe the apparent motion of the Sun and stars.
• Understand the relationship between the rotation of the Earth and the sky.
• Use Stellarium to simulate the daily movement of celestial objects.

MATERIALS:

• Computer or tablet with internet access
• https://stellarium-web.org/

INCLUSION:

• Suitable for students with hearing impairments (subtitled resources).
• Suitable for students with partial visual impairment (high-contrast interface and guided support).