On a chilly January day, the Burnaby NatureKids ventured out on a celestial expedition to Simon Fraser University!
Our Burnaby Club leaders, Christian and Maria lead our NatureKids families on a short trek out to Trottier Observatory; a massive star-gazing dome provided at SFU’s Burnaby campus. The observatory yields full accessibility to the public where they offer free in-person events every Friday night.
The kiddos were then introduced to other fascinating astrology learning including star charts, cosmic calendars, constellations and sundials.
NatureKids also learned about space-time phenomena like the Doppler effect, which explains how fast an object moves forward and away from us based on the change of wavelength or frequency in light or sound. For instance, have you ever noticed when the pitch of a train coming towards you seems to become higher and then lower as it moves away from you? You just experienced the Doppler effect!
Did you know that astronomers can even use this theory to prove that the universe is expanding!?
Later in the day, our NatureKids were given the exciting opportunity to glance into SFU’s telescope to try and catch any celestial wonders lurking in the sky.
What an eventful day! Thank you to all our dedicated volunteers for making this fantastic expedition possible for all our explorers.
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Written by Jenna Northmore, NautureKids Communications and Research Assistant