Yeongdeungpo-gu Maetan 1-dong Residents Take Astronomical Journey to Discover Summer Constellations

The Residents' Autonomous Committee of Maetan 1-dong in Yeongdeungpo-gu (Chairman Kim Bu-soon) organized an astronomical journey on the 6th to provide children in modern society with an opportunity to observe summer constellations that are rarely visible in urban areas during summer vacation, aiming to spark interest in astronomy and reestablish awareness about the environment.

With around 30 children and parents in attendance, the group departed from Maetan 1-dong Community Center at 7 p.m. that evening with excitement and visited the observatory at Kyung Hee University.

After first viewing a video introduction to the observatory and constellations, participants observed summer constellations including the Lyra, Cygnus, Vega, and Altair, attended a lecture on the characteristics of the sun and the composition of the solar system as part of a solar system theme, and conducted practical sessions with a rotating constellation wheel and a screen-based constellation journey.

Park Su-yeon said, "I never had a reason to look up at the sky, but through this event I will become interested and search for the stars. I hope the day will come when we can see stars even in our neighborhood by creating a clean environment."

Kim Gyo-won, Chief of Maetan 1-dong, said, "This event must have become a precious memory for the children and raised awareness about the importance of the environment through their interest in natural science such as constellations and the solar system. Going forward, we will create and implement many programs related to the environment."