On Tuesday, 12th October, 100 pupils from Monmouth Comprehensive School joined Year 9 girls from HMSG for an exciting talk with Dr Paul Roche, an astronomer who works for the Universities of Cardiff and Glamorgan. We learnt about astronomy and especially the Solar System. Using a PowerPoint he showed us many interesting slides about the 8 planets, their moons and asteroids. Dr Roche explained that as telescopes become better and better scientists can see that there are many objects on the outer edge of the Solar System larger than Pluto, which is why Pluto is no longer counted as a planet.
He showed us cross section pictures of the planets and we also learnt about the ‘Goldilocks’ or ‘habitable zone’. We learnt that this zone is where Earth orbits and because the temperature is just right, this is why there is life on Earth. We also learnt that our Solar System is unique compared to the other solar systems that have been found so far.
We learnt that Titan, the second largest of Jupiter’s moons, may have frozen rivers underneath the surface showing possible signs of life. We learnt interesting facts about Saturn’s rings which were made out of snow and Jupiter’s storm which was known as the big red spot.
We had a great time and learnt lots in the hour we spent with Dr Paul Roche. We look forward to continuing our learning in our Physics lessons!
By Martia, Jess and Rhiannon 9K