IOP in Ghana: astronomy courses for local students

More than 30 students from Ada Secondary High School enjoyed two days attending an astronomy course organised by the International Technology Educational Consultancy and the Ghana Planetarium. 

The course was introduced by Dr Ashong from the Ghana Planetarium . Students used a simple folding paper model to give them an overview of the distances between the orbits of the planets. They also had an opportunity to use and compare two different types of telescopes – the Galileoscope a very simple  refracting telescope and a reflecting telescope. 

The students also investigated convex lenses of different focal lengths and constructed a simple telescope.  The following day, 36 students and their three teachers visited the Accra Planetarium in Accra and viewed  a number of  videos on such topics as the night sky and origins of the universe. 

There was no charge for the two day course which was jointly sponsored by Institute of Physics and an educational consultancy company (International Training and Educational Consultancy ), which has been involved in science education in Ghana for a number of years.