Astronomy lesson

Some children got a close up view of the universe at Fort William Historical Park over their March Break.

During the park’s March Break day camps Thursday, some kids got a lesson in astronomy at the David Thompson Astronomical Observatory.

Jarred Perreault, 10, was most impressed with the large telescope and learning about the solar system, especially Jupiter.

“Not only is it the biggest planet, but it has the most moons, too,” he said.

Ten-year-old Bryndis Ventrudo also found Jupiter fascinating.

“The most interesting thing is that Jupiter has so many moons. I just can’t imagine how many moons it has,” she said.

Ventrudo was learning all kinds of new things about the universe and she said she was having a great time at the observatory.

“I like looking just at the sky and looking at the board and seeing all the pictures of all the suns and stars and things moving around,” she said.

Anthony Marelli, education and lifelong learning coordinator at Fort William Historical Park, said one of the most important things to learn about the universe is that it’s a part of nature.

“We kind of disconnect because it’s up in the sky far away,” he said. “But in reality it’s all part of nature.”

“The things that are happening out in space they affect us here too on the planet, especially when in the early days our planet was forming,” Marrelli said.

Not only were the kids learning about the universe and just how big it really is, but also about telescopes and how they work.

“How we’re able to see these objects that are so far away and how we can learn from them,” said Marrelli.

The David Thompson Astronomical Observatory is open to the public Wednesday to Sunday from 9:30 p.m. to 11:30 p.m.