Constelações : visões de luz : uma proposta de kit didático para mapeamento do céu noturno

Abstract

Watching the night sky is an activity that privileges the pleasure of discovery. Moved by curiosity, some try to identify the stars, while others try to recognise the designs of the constellations, and there are still those who are interested in knowing the celestial bodies that are beyond of what the vision allows to reach. The project presented here, is the result of a partnership between IA - Instituto de Astrofísica e Ciências do Espaço and the master's degree in Communication Design and New Media from Faculdade de Belas-Artes (ULisboa) and is a contribution to seek these purposes. Uniting Astronomy, science branch that studies the celestial bodies and phenomena, and the Information Design, a design field oriented to the efficient and effective communication of information, this project embodies itself as a didactic kit that allows to realize experiments of introduction and discovery of stars constellations. It is based on the need to communicate and spread the scientific knowledge, to motivate interest for Astronomy in society, particularly among the younger, and in the recognition of the degree of abstraction and complexity inherent in the phenomena studied in that scientific field. Therefore, this proposal is the result of a design methodology focused on the identification of potential users, in the complexity of the information addressed and in the contexin which it will be communicated and used. The kit that has been developed aims to provide stimulating and motivating learning experiences and, to that end, it is composed of bi-dimensional and three-dimensional supports, that link paper (old media) to electronics (new media), and uses interactive visual means that seek to rise interest in astronomical knowledge in a ludic and didactic way. In this way, the project is a contribute to, through design, promote and stimulate the exchange of knowledge between the scientific community and the public. In parallel, this work shows that a close cooperation between information designers and astronomers can lead into important benefits in terms of communication and scientific dissemination in this knowledge field