Learning Astronomy Under the Night Sky 2026
On our journey to Kanatal, we explored astronomy in a fun and practical way. Each activity helped us understand something new about the sky above us, from observing the Sun and planets like Venus, Jupiter, and Mars to learning how rockets work.
We learnt that the Sun is about 4.6 billion years old and makes up almost 99.8% of the mass of our solar system. Light from the Sun takes about eight minutes to reach Earth. The Sun’s gravity keeps the planets in orbit around it. Our instructor also taught us about sunspots. These are cooler, darker areas on the Sun’s surface caused by strong magnetic activity. We observed sunspots through a telescope, which made the learning more exciting.
During our astronomy session, we learnt about different planets. We were amazed to know that Venus is one of the brightest planets visible from Earth and is often called the Morning Star or Evening Star. We also learnt about Jupiter and Mars. The asteroid belt lies between Mars and Jupiter, and distances in space are often measured in Astronomical Units (AU). As the sky became darker, we observed how planets and stars appeared in different positions. We also learnt how to identify whether an object is a planet or a star. Stars usually twinkle, while planets generally shine with a steadier light. We also learnt about the Pole Star, which helped sailors and travellers find directions in earlier times.
One of the most exciting activities was making a hydro-rocket using a plastic bottle, paper, water, and a pump. This activity helped us understand Newton’s Third Law of Motion, which says that every action has an equal and opposite reaction. Overall, our Astronomy Camp was a wonderful learning experience. It helped us understand space, observation, and science in a fun and practical way.
Team Members: Aaditya, Aarav Garg, Aarush Gupta, Myra Tyagi, Prayaan Wadhwa, Rian Khetarpal, Samaira Gugnani (St. Mark’s Sr. Sec. Public School, Meera Bagh, Delhi).
EdTerra Edventures conducts various other programs for the youth. If you go to school and are under 17 years of age, ask your school to contact us to arrange a visit to your school for an introduction to “Kanatal” and other journeys under EdTerra’s India Discovery Program.
For queries call +91-11-48885800 or visit EdTerra Browse Journeys page to know more about the programs we offer to school students. Visit our FB page by clicking HERE
