Yongin Sanghyun Middle School Fosters 'Dreams of the Universe' Through Nighttime Sky Observation at Songam Observatory

Yongin Sanghyun Middle School operated an astronomy observatory experience program on the 15th at Songam Space Center, located in Yangju City, for students in its Creative Science Club.

The experience program, themed "A Night of Counting Stars, Dreams Toward the Universe," was designed to spark students' interest in space and celestial bodies and to provide an opportunity to explore science career paths through actual observation of astronomical knowledge learned in textbooks.

At Songam Space Center, students admired the infinite expanse of the nighttime sky and the beautiful structure of the universe in the "planetarium," equipped with a 15-meter-diameter hemispherical dome screen, expressing their amazement.

In the subsequent "constellation star chart class," students learned about seasonal representative constellations, the zodiac 12 houses, and methods for locating the North Star using self-produced luminescent star charts.

Upon arriving at Songam Observatory, located at an elevation of approximately 450 meters, students watched a humanoid robot performance from the space age and received preliminary explanations about the celestial bodies visible in the night sky that evening in a video lecture room.

Following this, they conducted celestial observation, the highlight of the experience program, in the main and auxiliary observation rooms. Under expert guidance, students directly observed stars, planets, and nebulae through high-performance telescopes, gaining a special experience. Exclamations of amazement filled the observation rooms as students witnessed the celestial objects in clear detail.

Kim Sung-min, principal of Sanghyun Middle School, said, "I hope this becomes an opportunity for students to expand the science knowledge they learned in classrooms through actual observation and hands-on experience, fostering their interest in space and astronomy. Going forward, we will continue to support students in developing scientific inquiry capabilities and exploring their aptitudes and career paths through various experience-based educational activities."