LIP researchers bring space exploration to schools ahead of the 2026 eclipse
"As part of the programme Space Goes to School – Eclipse Edition, the initiative brought sessions on the JUICE mission and the Solar System to several schools, including an activity adapted for visually impaired students. "
As Portugal prepares for the 12 August 2026 solar eclipse — a phenomenon that will obscure between 92% and 100% of the Sun across mainland Portugal — researchers from LIP’s SpaceRad group took part in Space Goes to School – Eclipse Edition, organised by ESERO Portugal and Ciência Viva, with sessions in Amadora, Lisbon and Odivelas.
One of the talks presented was “The JUICE mission: a journey to Jupiter and its icy moons!”, by Luísa Arruda. Drawing on the JUICE (JUpiter ICy moons Explorer) mission of the European Space Agency, the session invited students to look at Jupiter and moons such as Europa, Ganymede and Callisto as a natural laboratory for studying eclipses, gravity and the possibility that potentially habitable environments may exist elsewhere in the Solar System.
“In our Solar System, there are planetary systems where eclipses occur far more frequently than on Earth. Jupiter and its moons are one such fascinating example,” explains Luísa Arruda.
The talk was delivered at Escola Secundária da Amadora to around 90 Year 10 students in Physics and Chemistry and vocational courses, and was later presented again at Centro Helen Keller, in Restelo, for two Year 7 classes.
It was during this second session that one of the most memorable moments of the initiative took place. In a setting that included students with visual impairments, the presentation was adapted to favour a more sensory and inclusive approach. To help explore the differences in size between Earth and Jupiter, as well as some of the surface features of Europa and Ganymede, the researcher used tactile models, including balls with textures resembling those of these moons, allowing students to explore them through touch.
SpaceRad also took part with the talk “How to build a spacecraft – a guide to exploring the Solar System”, presented by Marco Pinto at Escola Básica Vasco Santana, in Ramada, Odivelas, to around 100 Year 7 students.
By linking anticipation of a rare astronomical event in Portugal with current topics in space research, these sessions gave students the opportunity to engage with key questions in contemporary science, from observing eclipses to exploring distant worlds in the Solar System.