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Leiden astronomers explain the universe in educational videos

A stretchy sheet over a bowl representing space, a marble on it's surface creating a dimple, deforming space. Simple classroom experiments like these are featured in new educational videos by AstroEDU. In the videos Leiden astronomers Maria Cristina Fortuna and Henk Hoekstra explain what we know of dark matter and dark energy for use in primary and secondary schools.

The new educational videos are part of a new series launched by IAU AstroEDU (see below), explaining the unknown universe, spanning concepts of black holes, dark matter and dark energy. Amongst other scientists, Leiden professor of Observational cosmology Henk Hoekstra and PhD candidate Maria Cristina Fortuna are featured.

The videos provide incisive explanations supporting primary and secondary school activities on the topic. Hoekstra: 'IAU AstroEDU is an excellent platform to bridge the gap between cutting-edge research and schools and we hope to see young minds engaged in solving the Universe’s most difficult mysteries.' All videos and activities are freely available on the IAU astroEDU platform.

Discovering dark matter and dark energy 

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The videos support full educational packages, including learning objectives, background information, activity descriptions et cetera. Find the educational activities featering Henk Hoekstra and Maria Cristina Fortuna on astroEDU's website: 

About IAU astroEDU

IAU astroEDU is an open-access platform that uses the familiar peer-review workflow of scientific publications, to improve the standards of quality, visibility and accessibility of educational activities. This online platform is a project from the International Astronomical Union. It was founded by the Sterrewacht at Leiden University, which still is one of the official supporters of the platform. AstroEDU is a place where educators can discover, review, change, and share astronomy- and space-related activities for primary and secondary education, and also have their activities peer-reviewed by professionals in education and science.

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