The A. Thomas sj celebrates its 5th anniversary

This article is taken from the "The day when" section of Omalius magazine for September 2024.

It's a dream that UNamur has made a reality in 2019: to revive the historic observatory that had been established by the Jesuits within the faculties in the 19th century and had disappeared by the middle of the 20th century. A successful gamble thanks to the tremendous mobilization of the UNamur community, partners, sponsors and the public as part of the fundraising campaign launched in 2018 to finance the cutting-edge equipment (telescopes, giant binoculars...) that now equips the dome. Taking stock 5 years later, we are impressed by the number and diversity of activities now offered by the small, dynamic team led by Professor André Füzfa, the initiator and driving force behind this project at UNamur: practical work with bachelor's students in mathematics, physics and philosophy, school visits, "Journey to the Universe" discovery workshops for 9-12 year-olds, vacation courses for children, hosting of trainee rhetoricians, open days, continuing education in philosophy of the universe.... "The life of the observatory, it's one activity or animation at least per week during the academic year, and daily during very busy weeks like the Printemps des Sciences for example", explains André Füzfa who can count on the invaluable help of Jean-Pol Vandijck (technician member of the Didactic Cell of the Physics Department), of Julien Creuels and the Confluent des savoirs team (UNamur's scientific mediation unit) and the assistant-doctors in the Mathematics Department (Eve-Aline Dubois, Nicolas Herman, Charles Modera and Justine Bodart).

If you ask its users, you'll quickly realize that the observatory represents a real boon for a different approach to learning with different audiences. "It's a wonderful opportunity to discover, learn, but above all do things for yourself," explains Emilien Perreaux, a master's student in mathematics. "In fact, with this pedagogically-oriented project, we learn, whatever our level, to manipulate all the tools and discover what's above our heads." Léa Gohy, a bachelor's student in physics, adds, "What stands out for me the most is the unique setting we find ourselves in.Whether it's during the observation evenings or during the day when we're observing the Sun, we're in a learning environment that's very relaxed and we have a lot of fun. This represents a unique opportunity to observe the sky with astronomy enthusiasts and with particular expertise". The observatory also regularly welcomes secondary school students. Romain Grange, now a bachelor's student in physics, was convinced by the internship he took when he was finishing his rhetoric degree: "What really impressed me was the hands-on nature of the experience. You get to handle a telescope [...]. We observed the Moon, the Sun and other deeper sky objects, like galaxies or star clusters. We also took photos of these stars, developing, improving and correcting them together. [...] It personally helped me to choose physics afterwards", Romain continues. An observation shared by the teachers, who see the observatory as a concrete application ground for subjects tackled theoretically in class. "We come to the observatory as part of the STEM option, which blends science, technology, engineering and mathematicss [...]," explains Baptiste Lemarque, Science teacher at Champion's Institut de la Providence. "As a science teacher, coming to the observatory makes it possible to concretize themes like geometric optics and lenses. The observatory is a kind of big lens that's a bit more complex, but it allows us to make the connection with reality." Manon Bataille, a mathematics teacher at the same school, agrees: "It shows students a concrete application of mathematics in the professional world, in the context of astronomy. And we can count on André Füzfa to give the students a run for their money - they're really delighted, and so are we."

Since 2019, the activities organized around astronomy at UNamur have been the breeding ground for numerous collaborations with several partners, such as the Euro Space Center in Libin. The observatory also takes part in the activities (conferences, meetings with Belgian astronauts, etc.) of Belgian Space Week, organized every autumn by the Confluent des savoirs with the support of the Walloon Region. Another example: the artist residencies organized under the dome since 2023 by KIKK, a Namur-based non-profit organization promoting digital and creative cultures. "We organize meetings between artists and researchers, between art and science and, in general, around the popularization of science," explains Charlotte Benedetti, director of the Pavillon de la Citadelle, managed by the KIKK. "Together, we really try to create a dialogue and open up the boundaries between sectors that aren't always used to crossing paths." These collaborations result in exhibitions such as Stellar Scape, currently on view at the Pavilion and accessible until January 2025. "All visitors will tell you: our astronomical dome is a magical place equipped with an impressive power of conviviality, under the azure or the stars, and which has enabled us to forge many an earthly bond!", concludes André Füzfa.

Madame Lisa continues, "A visit to the astronomical observatory can be a good starting point for some great classroom activities, such as discovering the solar system, studying the Earth on a broader level, or carrying out various experiments."