Our inaugural visit to Bootham School for an Astronomy trip was both fascinating and memorable. Mike Shaw - Science teacher and Astronomer from Bootham School treated us to a range of experiments on crater size and impact from asteroids and taught us about how the features on the surface of the moon were made. We were so lucky to have clear starry skies that evening and all managed to use the telescope in the observatory to see Jupiter and its moons; IO, Calisto, Europa and Gannymede. We also climbed to the top of the building to view the night sky and enjoyed hearing stories about how the constellations, such as Orion’s belt, were named. After this there were a few more experiments on flame colour and how it relates to the temperature of stars, then hot chocolate and cookies. The children were a credit to Mowden and the excited chat in the minibus on the way to the Youth Hostel and all the way home the next day about their experience, showed how inspired they all were by Astronomy. 

Mrs Jane Scott and Mrs Abigail Henry