The sky, and everything that happens there, has always aroused the interest and curiosity of the human race. Eclipses, the regular cycle of the seasons, the motion of the stars… The ruins of Stonehenge and Machu Picchu bear witness to how these phenomena were studied with a view to predicting them.

In the learned company of a cartoon Einstein, we’ll be revisiting the major astronomical milestones of the last 3000 years, from the cosmological models of antiquity, through the Ptolemaic system and the epicycles, to the contributions of Copernicus, Galileo, Kepler, Newton and Herschel, amongst others. We’ll also be reviewing the discoveries made possible by the use of technology, from the first telescope, designed by Galileo, to the modern ones in use both on earth and in space, which have revealed the wonderful objects contained in the cosmos to us: nebulae, pulsars, black holes…

Only by looking back, and learning about sciences’ great triumphs in the past, can we hope to catch a glimpse of what its future findings might be. Meditating on the future of astronomy, all we can know for certain is that, happily, our curiosity will always be moving a few steps ahead of the reach of our telescopes.

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Award winner at the 2010 International Planetarium Movie Festival at
GwaCheon National Science Museum in South Korea

Science Education Content

Astronomy: 3000 Years of Stargazing focuses on the history of astronomy with emphasis on how people have used the sky throughout history. First we used it to help understand and predict the seasonal cycles of weather. Then, with the invention of instruments to observe objects in the sky, the science of astronomy developed into a system of understanding the intrinsic nature of those objects. These concepts are woven together along with historical and cultural perceptions of the sky and help relate the information presented in the show to the lives of students, families, and the general public.

Show content is relevant in the following subject areas:

Physical Science, Life Science, and Earth and Space Science Standards
•    objects in the sky: Sun, Moon, stars, planets, galaxies, quasars
•    properties of stars
•    creation of the universe (the Big Bang)
•    position and motion of objects in space

History and Nature of Science
•    astronomy as a human endeavor
•    history of astronomy and historical perspectives
•    the nature of astronomy

Science and Technology
•    Understanding of how astronomy technology has been developed and how it works

Science as Inquiry
•    Understanding the concepts behind the motions of sky objects
•    Realizing how we know what we know about astronomy
•    What one needs in order to understand the cosmos

Science in Personal and Social Perspectives
•    change in the sky
•    early maps of the sky
•    rise of scientific exploration of the universe
•    development of the modern science of astronomy
•    early human history, cultures, and perceptions of the sky

This show adheres to principles put forth in the National Academy of Sciences' Education Standards (USA) published in 1996. For more details, visit the NAS Standards Web site.

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