Students at Paddox Primary School in Hillmorton reach for the stars

The popular event was held at Paddox Primary School and was attended by well over 250 stargazers.

Science co-ordinator Suzanne Rule welcomed children, parents and teachers to the evening of astronomical antics.

The astronomy evening is an annual event that is now in its fourth year and has gone from strength to strength, providing an opportunity for children, parents and grandparents to engage in a learning experience that resulted in everyone taking home a better understanding of what goes on ‘up there’.

A huge amount of planning went into ensuring the evening was out of this world, and while cloudy skies could have caused a cosmic calamity, the classroom terrestrial activities provided plenty of awe and wonder.

Activities on the night included: Cosmic collisions - investigations into crater sizes made by asteroids and space junk when they crash into moons and planets.

Phases of the moon: using Jaffa cakes and chocolate button resources visitors learnt about the phases of moon while recreating moon phases using these tasty treats.

Astronauts: inspired by Tim Peake’s current mission on board the ISS, children created their own space helmets, watched videos of Tim in action in space, took imaginative photos of them ‘floating in space’ and learnt more about this record breaking astronaut.

Observatory: supported by Rugby Astronomical Society and the use of school iPads, children were able to begin to investigate the skies above using the app Star View and the knowledge of the volunteers.

There was also a hot chocolate and space treat station.

Miss Rule would like to thank all involved for making this annual event a continued success.