Compared with the boundlessness of the universe, human beings are but a drop in the ocean. Astronomical education not only motivates us to explore the mysterious universe, but also arouses our contemplation upon the relationships between individuals, humanity and the universe.

In 2015, Zou Jianqing founded Shenzhen Yihekai Youth Service Center and launched a public welfare project that brings astronomical courses to primary and middle school students. Over the past two years, the project has been launched at six schools and more than 10 communities in the city, benefiting more than 7,000 people.

“After numerous encounters with children, I never found a child who did not like astronomy. They all think it’s very interesting. For instance, when I told them that in October this year two neutron stars collided and engendered 300 golden balls the size of the Earth, and these balls will reach the Earth after hundreds of millions of years, the children all exclaimed that it was marvelous,” Zou said.

In addition, when there were special changes in the celestial bodies, Zou would conduct outdoor observations with the children. “I organize children to observe the supermoon and sunspots according to the weather conditions. When observing the supermoon, children witness the positional changes of the Tycho and Copernicus craters through an astronomical telescope as time goes by, and thus can intuitively feel the rotation of the moon,” said Zou.

Every week, Zou would spend one or two days preparing for the class. When questions she cannot answer arise, she consults Yunnan Observatory of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and experts at NASA China.

To Zou’s pride, after two years of popularizing astronomy courses in Shenzhen Experimental School, some of the students have aspired to become astronomers. She hopes that more astronomical enthusiasts will join in on astronomical science education in the future. (Zhang Yu)