Mission & Goals

"For everyone ... must see that astronomy compels the soul to look upwards and leads us from this world to another."
- Plato (427-347 B.C.)

"When I heard the learn'd astronomer,
When the proofs, the figures, were ranged in columns before me,
When I was shown the charts and diagrams, to add, divide, and measure them,
When I sitting heard the astronomer where he lectured with much applause in the lecture-room,
How soon unaccountable I became tired and sick,
Till rising and gliding out I wander'd off by myself,
In the mystical moist night-air, and from time to time,
Look'd up in perfect silence at the stars."
- When I Heard the Learn'd Astronomer, Walt Whitman

Visit the Sandburg Sky Poetry Web page, including CSMS student-authored sky poems.

Sandburg Center for Sky Awareness
A Fairfax County Public Schools Planetarium

Mission & Goals

THE SKY--the greatest show above Earth!

In today's fast-paced society, people rarely take time to look up and behold the beauty and the wonder of the daily sky. Not only is the sky an ever-changing phenomenon, but it is also a rich resource for teaching virtually any subject--from science and math to art, literature, and history.

MISSION

The mission of the Fairfax County Public Schools Planetarium Program is to:

Increase students' awareness of the [day and] night sky and their appreciation for the natural world.
Promote students' understanding of the motion of celestial objects using the planetarium to accelerate daily, monthly, and annual motions.
Teach students techniques of observing and identifying celestial objects.
Inspire students' curiosity and interest in astronomy and motivate their study of math and science.
Provide a unique multimedia environment for a variety of curriculum areas.
Provide a resource to keep teachers and students abreast of current activities and findings in space exploration.

GOALS

The primary goal of the Sandburg Center for Sky Awareness (co-located with the Sandburg Planetarium) is to increase students' interest in science, mathematics, and technology through the study of astronomy and meteorology.

As we always say, "Things are looking up!" So should you, and for at least a day or two (when we visit your school or you visit the planetarium), you will! In the meantime, to broaden your horizons, we provide pointers to some cool astronomy- and meteorology-related World Wide Web sites to visit.

Our modest goal is not to create a glitzy, cutting-edge Web site, but rather to provide a virtual launching pad to a variety of interesting and exciting information resources which can be used to enrich teacher-directed classroom instruction or to encourage student-directed, open-ended exploration (based upon the Fairfax County Public Schools Elementary/Middle School Program of Studies in Astronomy). All systems are go. Commencing countdown. 3-2-1... Liftoff!