Ms. Marie Hayes’s 2nd-Grade class learns about our solar system, galaxy, and the universe at Samford University’s Cristenberry Planetarium
Second graders at St. Francis Xavier (SFX) Catholic School on Tuesday got to learn about the planets in our solar system, as well as our place in the Milky Way Galaxy and the universe during a field trip to Samford University’s Cristenberry Planetarium.
Second-grade teacher Ms. Marie Hayes has been teaching her students about the names and properties of the planets. Second Grade is the year students learn about the history and culture of the Roman Empire, providing a perfect opportunity for students to learn about the planets, most of which receive their names from Roman mythology.
In fact, our own planet (Earth) is the only planet in our solar system that does not receive its name from Greek or Roman myth.
Other physical bodies in our solar system, such as some of the moons that revolve around other planets, are also named after Roman mythological characters.
At the planetarium, Samford students explained to the 2nd-graders just how immense some of the bodies in the solar system are. Jupiter, the solar system’s largest planet, is so big that its volume is equal to 1,300 Earths. The sun, they explained, could fit every planet in the solar system inside of it 99 times.
The Samford students took the 2nd graders out of the solar system to show them the Milky Way Galaxy. There, the sun is just one among some 100 billion stars contained within the galaxy. Beyond the Milky Way are an estimated 2 trillion other galaxies.
After the presentation, students asked questions, such as what happens when someone goes inside a black hole.
Chair of Samford’s physics department Don Olive explained that no human being has ever entered or exited a black hole, but that he imagines it would be like entering a giant trash compactor. Something entering a black hole would be instantly crushed by its immense gravity.
SFX scholars are encouraged to approach natural science with a sense of wonder and appreciation for the complexity of God’s creation. This is due in part to our integrated Catholic curriculum, which draws connections between science, the liberal arts, and our faith.
St. Francis Xavier Catholic School is an accredited classical Catholic PreK-8 school in Birmingham’s Crestline neighborhood that uses the time-tested Catholic Intellectual Tradition to form students in virtue through the pursuit of academic excellence and service toward God and neighbor.
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