What question did this study set out to answer?

This research aims to investigate secondary school students' understanding of the celestial sphere model.

February 6, 2026Open Access

Students' Understanding of the Celestial Sphere Model and its Representations

Key Points

This research aims to investigate secondary school students' understanding of the celestial sphere model.
Conducted qualitative interviews with secondary school students aged 16-18
Gained insights into students' reasoning processes regarding celestial motion
Explored how students use the celestial sphere to reason about astronomical concepts
Identified common misconceptions regarding the celestial sphere's model
Provided insights that can inform the development of educational materials
Revealed the challenges students face in reasoning about celestial phenomena

Abstract

This is a poster presented at the 7th Shaw-IAU Workshop on Astronomy for Education, organised by the IAU Office of Astronomy for Education (OAE, https://astro4edu.org/shaw-iau/7th-shaw-iau-workshop/). Title: Students’ Understanding of the Celestial Sphere Model and its Representations Presenter:Judith Vandewiere (KU Leuven; Planetarium of the Royal Observatory of Belgium) Despite educators' efforts using various representations of the celestial sphere to help students reason about the apparent motion of the Sun and stars, this concept remains challenging for students. It is hypothesised that they may not fully grasp the underlying model of the celestial sphere, including its possibilities and limitations. This study aims to explore how secondary school students (16-18 years old) understand the celestial sphere. Through a qualitative interview study, we gained insight into students’ understanding and reasoning processes. These insights will help us to study how students use the celestial sphere to reason about celestial motion and to develop educational materials that can enhance model-based reasoning in astronomy. Collaborators:Jan Sermeus (KU Leuven; Planetarium of the Royal Observatory of Belgium) Mieke De Cock (KU Leuven) About the 7th Shaw-IAU Workshop:The 7th Shaw-IAU Workshop took place 18 - 21 November 2025. The Shaw-IAU workshops focus on astronomy education for primary and secondary school students and teacher training both in universities and in service. This year's Education focus session on Teaching with authentic data and the Science focus is on Galaxies.More details can be found on: https://astro4edu.org/shaw-iau/Keep up to date with future Shaw-IAU Workshops and other opportunities at the IAU Office of Astronomy for Education by joining our mailing list https://astro4edu.org/mailing-list/ Follow the IAU OAE on Bluesky and Facebook under @astro4edu

Students' Understanding of the Celestial Sphere Model and its Representations

Key Points

Abstract

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