On 20 January 2026, NUCLIO took part in the School Day organised by Escola Secundária Dom Manuel Martins, in Setúbal, Portugal.
During the event, Gustavo Rojas and Carlos Santos from NUCLIO team facilitated sessions of the Human Orrery – Solar System, an interactive activity developed within the European project Astro-Journeys. The sessions were conducted under the guidance of teacher Isadora Girio and involved students from 7th to 12th grade, as well as two other teachers from the school.
The Human Orrery at schools is part of the Astro-Journeys Open School Community Days. In these events, students take on the role of researchers and engage in a role-playing game in which they represent different objects of the Solar System, fostering active participation and dialogue with the school community.
The activity, including the installation of a kinesthetic Solar System structure, like The Human Orrery, supports several educational and community-oriented goals, including:
- Kinesthetic learning, through physical movement and collaborative exploration;
- Astronomy literacy, by helping participants understand planetary characteristics and the scale of the Universe;
- Civic engagement, raising awareness of the conditions for life on Earth and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs);
- Inclusivity, by offering collaborative and accessible scientific experiences for students with diverse backgrounds and learning profiles.
The activity is supported by dedicated digital and physical resources, allowing it to be implemented in large indoor spaces such as school halls, and reinforcing the project’s commitment to open, participatory science education.
