With some good ideas and new members in the team, GalileoMobile starts its 2.0 phase with a big question to answer: where to go next? With so many places in the globe that fit the project’s objective, where to choose?

La idea es ir a un lugar donde podamos llegar, interactuar y trabajar con niños y niñas de todas las edades (0 a 100 años incluidos) mirando al cielo en sus comunidades, escuelas y universidades, ¿quizás en otro continente esta vez?

Después de algunas propuestas muy atractivas y de un ir y venir de argumentos, la elección por fin llegó: iremos al mismo continente con una ruta diferente. La discusión está todavía en curso en el equipo, pero “Expreso Amazonia: encuentro con los saberes ancestrales” parece haber ganado los corazones y las mentes de los y las galileras para un próximo viaje. Colombia, Ecuador, Perú – y muy probablemente, Brasil – están en lista de espera de la luz verde para la ruta final.

De acuerdo con dos integrantes –Pilar (Investigadora Social) y Pati (Astrofísica) – en el trasfondo de la idea, ésta ruta tiene un componente social muy grande, ya que es una oportunidad para llegar a la gente en los lugares donde hay poco acceso a programas de educación y popularización en astronomía y las ciencias del espacio. Y también tiene un fuerte componente cultural, ya que será posible compartir cosmovisiones diferentes sobre el mismo tema – bajo el mismo cielo – y aprender de los niños, no sólo enseñarles sobre astronomía. “GM tendrá sus ojos puestos en la arqueo y la etnoastronomía y tratará de relacionarlas con la ciencia moderna. Algunas personas piensan que esto no es importante, pero lo es “, enfatiza Pati.

Pilar dice que los recursos humanos serán también un punto muy importante en este viaje: hay contactos ya realizados en estos países y se está conformando una red de maestros que pueden tener un papel importante en el proceso, ya que son una valiosa fuente de apoyo y  seguimiento para ayudar a soportar el momentum generado por GalileoMobile en esos lugares. Por último, pero no menos importante, hay galileros nacidos en estos países, lo cual sin duda suma puntos a favor de la experiencia: la propia viviencia sociocultural y el conocimiento sobre los lugares que visitaremos ayudarán a que las cosas funcionen de una manera más fluida y armónica.

¿Y la preparación para eso? “El clima y las condiciones geográficas serán muy diferentes, así como las observaciones astronómicas. Debemos pensar en los diferentes tipos de actividades y revisar lo que va a ser diferente respecto a nuestro último viaje “, añade Pati.

Pilar concluye diciendo: “queremos propiciar un encuentro de conocimientos modernos y ancestrales propiciando diálogos, intercambios entre las comunidades científicas, educativas y de aficionados. Al fin y al cabo, todas las personas tenemos nuestra forma ver, sentir e  interpretar “el lugar” en que vivimos y de relacionarlo con nuestras vidas. Conocer y compartir unas y otras cosmovisiones será una   experiencia interesante con nuevos e interesantes aprendizajes”. Este entretejido  puede ayudar estrechar relaciones, disminuir los  prejuicios de una cosmovisión con otra y ayudar a más personas a ver el panorama general. Una muy buena idea por la qué trabajar.

The idea is to go to a place where we can reach, interact and work with children of all ages (0-100 years old included) looking at the sky in their communities, schools and universities – maybe in another continent this time?

After some great proposals and a lot of discussion, the choice finally came: the same continent with a different route. Conversation is still going on among the team, but “Expreso Amazonia: ” seems to have gained galileros hearts and minds for a next trip. Colombia, Ecuador, Peru – and very probably, Brazil – are now on the list waiting for a green light for the final route.

According to two members at the backstage of the idea, Pilar (social researcher) and Pati (astrophysicist) , this route has a great social  component, since it’s an opportunity to reach people in places where there’s little access to educational programs on astronomy and space  sciences. And there’s also a strong cultural component, since it’ll be possible to share different cosmovisions about the same subject – the sky above us – and learn from children, not only teach them about astronomy. “GM will have an eye on archeo- and ethnoastronomy and try to articulate it with modern science. Some people think it’s not important, but it actually is”, Pati emphasizes.

Pilar says that human resources will be also a important point on this trip: there are contacts already made in these countries and a net of teachers is being formed. They’ll be an important part in the process, since they are an invaluable source of support and follow-up to help endure the momentum created by GM in these places. At last, but not least, there are galileros from these countries, and that is surely a plus: their social and cultural experience and a good knowledge about the places where we’re going can make things run in a smoother way.

And the preparation for this second trip through South America? “The climate and geographical aspects will be very different as well as astronomical observations. We should think of different types of activities to take and check on what will be different from our last trip”, Pati adds. Pilar concludes saying that “we want to make ancient and modern knowledges meet,  encouraging dialogue and interchange among scientific, amateur and scholar communities. Finally, we all have our own way to see, to feel and to interpretate “the place” where we live and to relate it with our lives! Knowing and sharing these cosmovisions with one another is our “challenge”, which sugests that this experience will be full of new and interesting learnings”. This intertwining can help diminish prejudice of one cosmovision with another and help more people seeing the bigger picture. A very good idea to work for.

“Bajo un mismo cielo” cuenta la historia de GalileoMobile, proyecto especial en el marco del Año Internacional de la Astronomía que se celebró en 2009. Durante dos meses y recorriendo por carretera aproximadamente siete mil kilómetros, GalileoMobile visitó escuelas y comunidades en Chile, Bolivia y Perú para realizar actividades científicas y organizar observaciones astronómicas.

Bajo el prisma de los niños que se cruzaron con la estela de GalileoMobile y utilizando la astronomía como hilo conductor, se relata un encuentro entre distintas visiones e interpretaciones del cielo, mostrando el impacto de las actividades realizadas en las comunidades visitadas, así como la exploración de la riqueza cultural humana proyectada en la tradición astronómica de los pueblos del Altiplano Andino.

El documental estará disponible muy pronto subtitulado en inglés, alemán, francés, griego, portugués, español e italiano.

Créditos del Trailer: Domenico Zàzzara

“Bajo un mismo cielo” (Under the same sky) tells the story of GalileoMobile, a special project of the International Year of Astronomy 2009. On a road trip that lasted two months and traveled over seven thousand kilometers, GalileoMobile visited schools and communities in Chile, Bolivia, and Peru to perform science activities and organize astronomical observations.

Through children’s eyes, an encounter from different visions and interpretations of the sky is made, from East to West and from ancient times to modern astronomy, exploring the richness of human culture preserved in the traditions of the Andean people.

The full documentary will be available very soon with subtitles in English, German, French, Greek, Portuguese, Spanish, and Italian.
Trailer credits: Domenico Zàzzara

Entre el 8 y el 13 de julio, en el lindo paisaje lleno de volcanes verdes de la region de “Auvergnes” en Francia, estuve a cargo de realizar actividades sobre astronomía en un campo científico para jóvenes (contratado por la ONG Objectif Sciences International).

From the 8 to the 13 July, in the beautiful décor punctuated of low top-green volcanoes of the Auvergne region in France, I was in charge of animating astronomy-related activities in the frame of a science camp for young children (contracted by the NGO Objectif Sciences International).

Phil con los niños / Phil and the kids

El primer día, empecé por presentar a los niños la misma charla inaugural (en francés) que dabamos en las escuelas que visitamos durante nuestra expedicion en Sudamérica. Les dije que cada imagen que estaban viendo, también pasó frente a los ojos de un niño sudamericano. No solo fue una introducción sobre astronomía, sino también un manera de mostrar los lazosculturales que tiende la astronomía. La estrellas son nuestras origenes, y como tal, estamos ligados por ellas.

Como la primera noche de observacion fue cancelada por el mal tiempo (pues, de ahi viene al color verde del paisaje:o), nos sentamos todos mirando una versión preliminar de nuestro documental subtitulado en francés (‘Sous un même ciel’). Los niños estaban cautivados. De hecho, hablaron con los demás niños que no estaban en la sala, y estos, ¡vinieron a pedirme si podía mostrar la peli otra noche! Todos estaban sonriendo a esos ninos peruanos, bolivianos y chilenos del otro lado de la pantalla, como si estuvieron hablando juntos, o simplemente descubriendo que cmpartían la misma pasión.
Por supuesto, también nos ‘ensuciamos’ las manos construyendo espectroscopios con pedazos de CDs y tubos de papel higiénico. Cada niño construyó el suyo y así pudo observar el espectro solar a través de su tubito multicolor (los habian decorado artísticamente ;O).

The very first day, I started out by presenting the children, in french, the same inaugural talk we were giving in schools during our South American expedition. I told them that every image they were seeing, the eyes of a South American child saw them too. It was not only an ice-breaker on astronomy, it was a forefeeling of the cultural bridge-power of astronomy. The stars are both our origins and a link between each of us.

As the first star party had been cancelled because of the bad weather (well, that’s were the green landscape comes from;O), we all sat down to watch a preliminary version of our documentary movie with French subtitles (‘Sous un même ciel’). The kids were really into it. In fact, they talked to the other kids who were not in the room and the absent went to me asking to show the movie another night! They were smiling to those Peruvian, Bolivian and Chilean children on the other side of the screen, just as if they were talking to each other, or simply finding out they were sharing the same passion.

Of course, we also “dirtied” our hands building spectroscopes out of CD pieces and toilet paper roll tubes…Every kid built his and was discovering the solar spectrum through their not-less-coloured  instrument (they had artistically decorated it;o)

En la pared, en la ventana, sobre el piso o en la mesa, con la compu o el móvil, podemos compartir sus múltiples bondades. La “Cartilla de Actividades GalileoMobile” para aprender conceptos básicos en Astronomía, se ajusta a las características del espacio y del tiempo para acompañarnos en recorridos por la luna, conocer las manchas del Sol, aprender a identificar galaxias y muchos más juegos, experimentos, explicaciones y actividades. Bajo un mismo cielo. ¿Quiéres darle un vistazo?

Podrás descargarla desde este link. Disfrútala y compártela

Only few months after being born, she had to embark on a long trip across the ocean from Germany to Latin America as last destination. In a route of 7 000 Km at the Altiplano and despite she was exposed during two months to the inclemency of the weather and the weakening caused by the journey, she was always greeted with happiness and enthusiasm by those who met her. After traveling through Chile, Bolivia and Peru (November-December 2009) and going through a long process of improvements, adjustments and some retouching, she is finally ready to be launched into society. Together with the imminent publication of the documentary, both are representative products of the educative and itinerant trip of the GalileoMobile project and she now comes to light.

On the wall, in the window, on the floor or on the table, with a computer or a mobile, we can share her numerous benefits. The “Cartilla de Actividades GalileoMobile” fits to the space and time characteristics to learn basics concepts of Astronomy and it guides us in a tour around the Moon, the sunspots and galaxies, as well as many other games, experiments, explanations and activities. Under the same sky. Would you like to have a look?

You can download the Spanish version from this link.. Enjoy and share!

Al aterrizar el avión, podía ver a lo lejos la silueta del majestuoso Illimani, guardián de La Paz. Las memorias de nuestra expedición de 2009 daban vueltas en mi cabeza…¡antes de volverse reales dos horas mas tarde cuando encontré nuevamente a nuestro amigo y colaborador Manuel de la Torre! El viajó, en calidad de profesor especialista en arqueoastronomía andina, dos semanas enteras con nosotros a través del Altiplano boliviano en Octubre del 2009.

As the plane landed, I could see in the far the majestic silhouette of the tripled-peak Illimani, guardian of La Paz. All the memories of our 2009 expedition were flowing through my mind…and became real two hours later when I met again our friend and collaborator Manuel de la Torre! In October 2009, this professor specialist in Andean archeoastronomy traveled with us during two entire weeks across the Bolivian Altiplano…

Manuel en frente a la constelación de Pegaso, asociada por los andinos a su colorida bandera llamada ‘Whipala’. / Manuel in front of the Pegasus constellation, associated by the Andean people to their colourful flag called ‘Whipala.’

Juntos volvimos el 23 de febrero a visitar la ‘Unidad Educativa Rosario’ – una escuela de la periferia de la Paz que visitamos en 2009 – y al mismo tiempo obsequiamos un galileoscopio (telescopio educativo con una magnificación similar al que usó Galileo Galilei, www.galileoscope.org) con un trípode. De acuerdo con la directora Daysi Sanjinez y los maestros, planeamos nuestras actividades centrándonos en el telescopio, su impacto sobre la ciencia, lo que podemos aprender de ello y también como se utiliza.

Phil armando el galileoscopio. / Phil mounting the Galileoscope.

Para empezar, proyectamos los primeros cinco minutos del documental de GalileoMobile ‘Bajo un mismo cielo’ para explicar lo que es la astronomía, su historia…y las razones porque las que estábamos allí. Seguimos con nuestra ‘charla inaugural’, un viaje desde la Tierra hasta las estrellas. Pero esta vez hicimos hincapié en el telescopio, porque es precisamente este instrumento revolucionario el que nos permite realizar tal viaje, el mismo iniciado por Galileo Galilei hace 400 años. Así fue como mostramos los diferentes objetos celestes visibles con el galileoscopio, tal y como Galileo los vio por primera vez. Manuel habló del simbolismo de esos objetos y de las constelaciones en la cosmovisión andina, usando sus nombres en lenguaje Aymara. Después de eso los niños estaban listos para realizar el verdadero viaje interestelar…pero antes había que armar el galileoscopio. Todos alrededor de la mesita, estaban fascinados al descubrir la anatomía de este ‘ojo-más-grande-y- más -potente-que-el-nuestro’. Era hora de practicar: ¡todos en el patio en línea! Apuntamos el galileoscopio a los montes rocosos que había alrededor de la escuela. Uno por uno, los alumnos pudieron experimentar por primera vez esta nueva, más grande y detallada perspectiva con una extraña sorpresa…¡sus montes se veían al revés! Finalmente, dedicamos una sesión a la directora y los maestros para explicar el uso y el funcionamiento del galileoscopio y del trípode. Y pudimos por fin saborear una empanada de queso y una cola, los corazones llenos por este lindo día de reencuentros.

En el patio de la U.E. “Rosario”, observando los montes con el galileoscopio. / In the patio of the school “Rosario”, observing the mountains with the galileoscope.

Together with Manuel, the Wednesday 23^rd of February we came back to the ‘Unidad Educativa Rosario’- a school from the periphery of La Paz that we visited in 2009 – and at the same time donated a galileoscope (an educational telescope with similar magnification as Galileo’s, www.galileoscope.org) with a tripod. In agreement with the Director Daysi Sanjinez and the school teachers, we tailored our activities around the telescope itself, its impact on science, what we can learn from it and how to use it.

To start out, we projected the five first minutes of the GalileoMobile documentary movie ‘Under a same Sky’ to explain what Astronomy was all about, its cultural history…and why we were there to share it. We followed with our ‘introductory talk’, a voyage from the Earth to the stars. But this time with a special emphasis on the telescope, for it is precisely this revolutionary instrument that enables us such a voyage, as pioneered by Galileo. We presented the different celestial objects visible with the galileoscope and how Galileo first saw them. Manuel then discussed the symbolism of these objects within the Andean cosmovision as well as their Aymara names. After that the kids were ready for a real interstellar voyage…but before it, we had to mount the galileoscope! All around the table, they were fascinated at discovering the simple anatomy of this ‘bigger-and-more-powerful-eye-than-ours’.

Time to practice then: everybody in the patio!! We pointed the galileoscope at the rocky mountains in front of us. One by one, the pupils could experience for the first time this new, bigger and detailed perspective with a peculiar surprise…their mountains were upside-down! Finally, we dedicated a session to the director and the teachers (writing notes) to explain the use and functioning of the galileoscope and its tripod. We could then enjoy with them our cola and cheese-empanada, the hearts filled by this beautiful day of re-encounters.

Sesión sobre el galileoscopios para los maestros. / Galileoscope session for the teachers.

Puedes ver las fotos en el siguiente enlace.

Galería Picasa

We know that it is a bit late and we do apologize for that, but at last you can take a look in GalileoMobile’s Picasa gallery a selection of pictures from the second part of the journey, which depict the travel across Peru and Chile in November 2009. It has been a while but it is still possible, through the mist of fatigue, to recognize in those pictures the tremendous illusion that we still have that allow us to keep working nowadays. More news coming soon! Thank you for the days ahead.

You can find the pictures in the following link.

Picasa gallery

One year after having landed, for the first time in my life, on the South American soil I find this short text among many sheets on my desk.

El recuerdo de lo que pasó hasta que llegué a los cuatro mil metros de la Isla del Sol está casi nublado.

My memories are cloudy in remembering what happened until I arrived at the four thousands meters of the Island of the Sun. It is maybe because I didn’t speak any Spanish until that time, so that my thoughts were moving slowly, just like my words. At the same time places and images kept running fast as never done before. Time zero was then in an angle of space in which the Island of the Sun lives. In a school, kids around me were asking what I was doing and I tried to explain that I was trying to set up the telescope for letting them observe the Sun: a yellow ball, or rather white, I would say. Perhaps a little bit boring, flat, without any spot: that is what I did believe we were going to observe. Instead the Sun did start to present sunspots exactly on that day of the end of October, after that all around the world researchers were waiting for that since long time. Together with those Bolivian kids we watched a very well defined spot on the solar disc that did fill the telescope with colors and  the eyes of people with astonishment. At the same time this small point on the solar surface did write in my head: “We watch to discover, we discover to admire.” In such a way the images in my head changed, from clouds to spot-like to bright, and my words, step by step, became faster and more South American.

One full revolution of the Earth around the Sun ago, a dream became reality as GalileoMobile started its trip on the Altiplano. On October 5, three hundred and sixty five days ago, for the first time this project looked upon the Latin American sky and travelled 7000 under the stars, to meet people who wanted to share, who felt united under the same sky. The trip has finished, but our journey never stops.  There are still ways to keep going, to keep believing that dreams can indeed come true.

The talk about Galileo Mobile project will take place today at 11:45 a.m. on the Observatorio Astronómico Nacional(OAN), in La Ciudad Universitaria, Bogotá, Colombia. Galilera Pilar Becerra shall present in front of a group of 30 teachers winners of the “Primer Concurso Nacional Colombia Vive la Ciencia, Vive la Astronomía” aspects of the organization, activities, itineraries, budget, results and lessons learned from the GalileoMobile project. The event is organized by the Sena, Colciencias, El Observatorio Astronómico Nacional(OAN) and El Museo de la Ciencia y el Juego de la Universidad Nacional de Colombia.

We are still working to finish the first phase of GalileoMobile’s project. Right now we are finalizing the edition of a handbook of activities. Besides, we are working on the final stages of the production of the documentary about the project, which is entitled “Bajo un mismo cielo” and will be released in the upcoming months. More news coming soon.