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Forget Facebook and uploading snaps of friends and family - all around WA, school students are getting involved in an out-of-this world project that could see more young people enrolling in science at UWA.

Using the SPIRIT I telescope and their own home computers, students from Years Seven to 12 are taking their own real-time images of galaxies hundreds of millions of light years away, sharing photos of comets and asteroids, and capturing in graphic detail the colours of the Orion nebula.

And thanks to an agreement to be signed this week between UWA and Hawaiian Pty Ltd, SPIRIT II - a more sophisticated version of SPIRIT I with a bigger range - even more students from all over WA will be aiming for the stars.

No matter how remote their school, students will have computer access to two powerful optical telescopes when SPIRIT II joins its ‘little sister' on the roof of the Physics building. Spirit II will enhance and extend the University's School Outreach and Teacher Development program, SPICE. Spirit I is the SPICE-Physics-ICRAR Remote Internet Telescope.

Spirit II will enable more schools to be involved, provide the latest equipment and offer a broader range of scientific research.

Paul Luckas, SPIRIT I and II Program Manager at UWA 's Centre for Learning Technology, said the program was available to all Education Department schools throughout the State.

"About 50 teachers have already taken part in professional development training with the program and have introduced it to their classrooms where they use the activities we've developed," Paul said.

"These activities range from enabling Year Sevens to take an image of a galaxy to upper secondary school students measuring the position of Jupiter's moons over several weeks and by applying orbital maths, calculating the planet's mass.

"Once they know how to do it, students use their home computers at night and take their own images. All they need is Internet access. There's no special software required. Spirited stargazing unlimited

"It takes practice, but some are able to create fabulous coloured images, for example of the spiral arms of a galaxy."

Paul said the program had inspired some students who had never considered studying science at tertiary level to work towards getting into UWA.

Hawaiian Pty Ltd is a WA -based property group with a diverse portfolio of retail, commercial and hospitality assets which includes Claremont Quarter, Carillon City, The Colonnade, 235 St Georges Terrace and Cable Beach Club Resort & Spa. Other sponsor partners of Hawaiian include Perth Wildcats, His Majesty's Theatre Foundation, Youth Focus, WAA PA and Black Swan State Theatre Company. For more information on Hawaiian, visit www.hawaiian.com.au

Published in UWA News , 27 June 2011