Mission Exoplanet: When research becomes tangible
For the second time we were able to welcome students of the Görlitz Joliot-Curie-Gymnasium as part of the Curie Week at the German Centre for Astrophysics. Together with three 9th classes we went on a practical journey into the world of exoplanet research.
The focus was on a project with a lot of scope for self-design: The young people developed their own model of a solar system with a central light source and a planet in orbit. For this purpose, they modelled the planet with a vehicle and used sensors to measure the light curve. Thus, the transit method – a central method for the discovery of exoplanets – became experimentally comprehensible.
Accompanied by our scientists, the young researchers worked in small groups. The young people set their own pace and developed creative solutions in programming.
“For us, it is very important to bring young people into contact with science at an early stage. This not only promotes interest, but also central skills such as analytical thinking and problem solving,"
says Jana Bingemer from the Department of Regional Networking and Science Communication.
The project day offered exciting insights into the research and the central fields of work of the DZA: astrophysics, data science and technology development.