Workshops for high schools

The Haus der Astronomie offers workshops for high school students, i.e. from grades 5 to 12/13. Our workshops are suited to all school types and levels and always take into account the individual prior knowledge and interests of the group of students in question.

Image: HdA / C. Liefke

The date and topic of the workshop are agreed in advance with the respective instructor of the workshop.

The workshops comprise various phases. Along with the activity phase for the relevant topic, depending on the workshop these may include a guided tour of the Haus der Astronomie, a walk along the planet path, a visit to the historic Bruce Telescope at the Landessternwarte and/or a show at our own digital planetarium.   

 

Since some workshops are conducted by teaching staff who are seconded to the Haus der Astronomie, not all workshops can be offered daily. However, if you have a different date in mind please contact us. We can often come up with a flexible solution.

Monday:
Departure for Mars (grades 5 – 11)
The stars of the Milky Way (grades 9 – 13)
Infrared astronomy (grades 7 – 11)
Astronomy Rally (grades 5 – 7)
Exoplanets – In Search of Alien Worlds (grades 7 – 13)
Navigating the night sky (grades 5 – 13)

Tuesday:
Infrared astronomy (grades 7 – 11)
Navigating the night sky (grades 5 – 13)
Spectroscopy (grades 7 – 13)

Wednesday: Unfortunately, due to staff shortages, no workshops can be offered on Wednesdays at the moment.

Thursday:
The stars of the Milky Way (grades 9 – 13)
Infrared astronomy (grades 7 – 11)
Navigating the night sky (grades 5 – 13) 
Spectroscopy (grades 7 – 13)
“The blue dot” – the Earth we live on (from grade 7)

Friday:
The stars of the Milky Way (grades 9 – 13)
Navigating the night sky (grades 5 – 13) 
Spectroscopy (grades 7 – 13)
“The blue dot” – the Earth we live on (from grade 7)

An overview of the workshops:

Departure for Mars (grades 5 – 11)
No other planet in the Solar System is more similar to Earth than Mars. Rock formations and water ice on the northern polar cap suggest that this planet may have been a blue planet with oceans and rivers in the distant past. Based on webcam images of the "Mars Express” probe, the workshop shows possibilities to explore the Martian surface in class through simple activities and interdisciplinary problem solving.

Monday: F. Seitz
Contact:

The stars of the Milky Way (grades 9 – 13)
In this workshop, we will actively explore the physical properties and stages of development of the main stars of the night sky. In doing so, we want to focus on the state variables that can be found in the axes of the Hertzsprung-Russell diagram (HRD) and thereby understand the evolution of the stars.

Tuesday: M. Penselin
Wednesday, Friday: M. Wetz
Contact:

Infrared astronomy (grades 7 – 11) 
The infrared spectrum can’t be seen with the naked eye. 
Only with technical aids can we explore the infra-red world and see much more than we can detect with normal light. 
Apparently opaque substances now become transparent and the invisible becomes visible. 
At various stations, students can perform experiments allowing them to explore the nature of infra-red light.

Monday: F. Seitz
Wednesday, Friday: M. Wetz
Contact:

Astronomy Rally (grades 5 – 7) 
Stars, planets, galaxies or black holes: In this astronomy rally through the House of Astronomy, you go in search of answers to astronomical questions. The universe and its exploration are discovered playfully with the help of exhibits in the House of Astronomy.

Monday: F. Seitz
Contact:

Exoplanets – In Search of Alien Worlds (grades 7 – 13) 
The search for other, perhaps even habitable, planets outside our solar system is a very active field of research. In this workshop, different methods of discovery will be demonstrated. Using model calculations and student experiments, the difficulties and possibilities in the search for exoplanets will be highlighted.

Monday: F. Seitz
Contact:

Navigating the night sky (grades 5 – 13)
On a clear night, the sky is enchantingly beautiful, but at the same time decorated with a bewildering number of stars. With all that variety, a self-made rotatable star map is a simple and powerful instrument for orientation. The search for constellations can be practised on laptops using the software Stellarium or in our planetarium. Pupils are provided an overview of what you can discover with the naked eye in the night sky.

Tuesday: M. Penselin
Wednesday, Friday: M. Wetz
Contact:

Spectroscopy (grades 7 – 13)
Even with the naked eye, it’s possible to recognise the colours of some stars. In colour photographs of galaxies, nebulae and star clusters, fascinatingly beautiful coloured structures become visible. But how do such colours come about? And what do they tell us about the photographed object? In the workshop, we explore these questions by performing experiments and making measurements. From grade 7 we discuss colours, while from class 9 we move onto spectroscopy in the true sense.

Tuesday: M. Penselin
Wednesday, Friday: M. Wetz
Contact:

“The blue dot” – the Earth we live on (from grade 7) 
To us, “our” planet appears to be enormous and inexhaustible. But from a cosmic point of view, the earth is a tiny spot in a solar system at the edge of the Milky Way. Meanwhile, humanity has realized that the earth is by no means inexhaustible. Raw materials, clean water, good air and food are limited. 
The first part of the workshop will focus on a very short history of life on earth, the second on the limits of growth, i.e. the finiteness of the Earth and the dangers for its biosphere, and the third on ways to live in harmony with nature - by planting an apple tree. 
The workshop can be adapted to the needs of the respective target group.

Wednesday, Friday: M. Wetz
Contact:

If you have questions or are interested in a workshop and would like to arrange a date, please contact us via email. The respective contact persons can be found in the weekly overview next to the name of the workshop.

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