Astronomy in the classroom is often constrained to models or photos – after all, how do you observe the stars during the day ? Our Solar Sibings is an educational program developed via collaboration between astronomers, teachers and their students to radically change the way astronomy may be taught.

Imagine using data from high grade telescopes to analyse the composition of star clusters and galaxies, inferring their distance and age. With three different grades of activity, ranging from largely teacher-centred to student-led, students use real data and authentic scientific methods to learn different aspects of astronomy. Course resources and optical telescope data (about 4Gb) are free-to-download – in addition students may elect to book time (once again for free) on telescopes around the world to observe particular features as part of an extended investigation.

Data analysis may be pictorial or mathematics based, leading to an understanding of principles such as red shift, absolute versus apparent magnitude and the sequence of star development. From engaging student interest to contributing to real science discoveries – including students as authors on papers in astronomical journals resulting from projects the students initiated – Our Solar Siblings provides tremendous opportunities for learning. Visit www.oursolarsiblings.com for further information and enable your students to discover the wonders of the universe.