Introduction to sundials
Discover sundials, build one and leave with it! A team work session to create your first sundial. Explanations and crafts. Participants leave with their own sundial. Everyone makes and leaves with their own cardboard sundial. Duration of activity: 4 hours Subjects: geometry, graphic arts Level: All levels Key messages: Sundials are accessible to everyone Understanding the […]
It turns !
Observe variations in shadow size through personal measurements and understand seasonal variations. In teams, the children choose the shadow of a familiar building that they pass regularly and measure the shadow on the ground day after day. Options: Choose just one in the playground and follow it as a group. In groups of two, the […]
Eratosthenes
Redo the experiment that allowed the first measurement of the size of the Earth! By measuring the shadow cast by a sundial in two places on the Earth at the same time (solar time), if we know the distance between these two places, we can deduce the size of the Earth. The children think about solving […]
Astronomical navigation
Learn to take stock like Captain Haddock! Theoretical and practical workshop on the use of a modern sextant. After a general presentation, the children (in pairs) note the height of the Sun in the sky and do the calculations to determine the position of the school. All readings being taken at different times, each pair […]
Eclipse
Watch the next solar eclipse! Don’t miss the next eclipse visible in France (partial) March 29, 2025! Observation in the yard and understanding of the mechanism. Explanation with a model. Likewise, don’t miss the next transits of Mercury: November 13, 2032, November 7, 2039 and May 7, 2049. All visible in Europe. Opportunity to also talk about […]
Foucault’s pendulum
“Come and see the Earth rotate!” This is the formula used by Léon Foucault in the invitations addressed to the public, during the installation of his pendulum at the Pantheon in Paris in 1851. This experiment can be repeated as soon as a sufficiently high hanging point is available (3 meters is enough). This is the […]
The school’s sundial
Build the school’s sundial! A project that brings together the entire establishment for a year. All classes contribute and the dial is inaugurated during the end-of-year celebration. All school subjects are covered. The school’s sundial. Duration of the activity: All school year Subjects: Multidisciplinary Level: All levels Key messages: General understanding of how sundials work Belonging […]
Astrolabe
Discover the instrument that has remained at the cutting edge of technology for over 1000 years! The astrolabe is an embodiment of Greek science. Perfected by the Arabs, it was rediscovered in Europe at the end of the Middle Ages. It is called the tool with a thousand functions: from determining the time of rising or […]
Nocturlabe
Learn to read solar time at night! Close to the sundial, the nocturlabe allows you to read the time at night. Particularly important for knowing the state of the tide before setting sail, it is a simple tool to understand, use and manufacture. Everyone makes and leaves with their own nocturlabe. Duration of activity: 4 hours […]
The world’s largest mobile sundial
Witness the live construction of a 21st century sundial! On a clear space, the dial maker installs his equipment and mounts a large sundial, calculated for the date and place. Throughout the construction, he is available to explain and comment on his work. Participants check the time on their watches (actually, their phones!) The Castillon […]
Why can’t we easily determine noon at sea?
The Sun peaks in the sky at true noon. For example, at the latitude of Bordeaux (45°N), it reaches a height of 45° on the horizon on the day of the equinox (spring or autumn). We can graphically represent the variation of the height of the Sun on the horizon during a day. On Geogebra, we trace […]
Astronomical navigation
Taking stock at sea As long as navigators keep their eyes on the coast, navigation is quite easy: you just need to find your bearings in relation to remarkable points on earth (cape, island, mountain peak, etc.). Even today, most boaters sail this way. But what to do on the high seas, far from the coast? In […]
The order of the days of the week
We know that the days of the week correspond to the planets visible to the naked eye. Let’s start by clarifying a point of vocabulary: planet in Greek means “wandering star”, that is to say a star which moves in relation to the celestial vault, the “sphere of the fixed”. According to this definition, the Moon and […]
In what order did the ancients place the planets?
In the geocentric system, which prevailed from the Babylonians to Copernicus, we distinguish two cycles of rotation: The diurnal cycle: all the stars revolve around the Earth in 24 hours. They rise in the East and set in the West. This movement is obvious, but it does not allow us to distinguish the planets from other stars. […]
Every day has its own planet? Not quite!
In French, there is no doubt from Monday to Friday: Lundi (Monday) Lunae dies Moon Mardi (Tuesday) Martis dies March Mercredi (Wednesday) Mercurii dies Mercury Jeudi (Thursday) Jovis dies Jupiter Vendredi (Friday) Veneris dies Venus But there are two exceptions: Saturday and Sunday. Samedi (Saturday) Saturn The Romans renamed sabbati dies, the Sabbath day, a sacred […]