The subject matter of this theses is a static design and appraisal of a structure of the planetarium roof. It is a cupola over the circular plan and consists of two radial arched ribs. This theses contains two varieties of its structure.

The aim of my thesis is to find and insert a new function to the city of Sumperk in a way as sensitive as possible to the city environment, based on its needs and was beneficial not only for the city itself but also for the bigger region.

[pt] Friedrich Nietzsche, ao longo de sua obra e, em especial, em sua crítica ao valor dos valores morais ocidentais para a vida, em que elabora a tipologia da moral nobre e moral dos escravos, associa a criação de valores a diferentes fisiologias humanas (homem ativo e homem reativo, homem como ave de rapina e homem como ovelha), compreendendo a moral como não desligada da vida orgânica e se colocando contra valores e práticas de homogeneização e nivelamento. Decorre daí uma visão que valora a alteridade – o que é outro, diferente, alheio – como de valor à vida, enquanto característica fisiologicamente inerente aos homens e que alimenta a força plástica humana. Oswald de Andrade, leitor confesso de Nietzsche, em especial em seus manifestos e ensaios filosóficos, resgata e reelabora a noção de antropofagia, enquanto visão de mundo e postura filosófica em que o outro é alimento de transformação de si, orgânica e moralmente (isto é, enquanto alimento ao corpo, no caso do ritual em sua origem, e também enquanto alimento à criação de novos valores); e que, portanto, também valora a alteridade como de valor à vida. Oswald elabora a sua própria tipologia, a do homem messiânico e homem antropofágico (patriarcado e matriarcado), e a sua análise do valor dos valores morais ocidentais para a vida, em que a sua crítica à moral do sacerdócio em muito se aproxima à crítica de Nietzsche feita a essa que, para o filósofo alemão, foi a mais forte das morais de escravo e de rebanho que o homem ocidental desenvolveu. Dentre aproximações e diferenciações, ambos os pensadores nos indicam a reflexão sobre a alteridade enquanto elemento de valor à plasticidade humana e, assim, à vida, apesar das tendências homogeneizadoras que possamos identificar ao longo da história e, ainda, do momento presente. / [en] This dissertation aims to investigate, from a philosophical point of view, how to cultivate the relationship between the making of science and the making of fiction can contribute to think about the planetary proportion of the ongoing ecological collapse. The research starts from the diagnosis that there is currently a disconnect between action and understanding, in other words, between the enormous energetic flux produced by the capitalist industrial civilization and the human capacity to dimension its catastrophic effects – not only for our species, but for a good part of the Earth s inhabitants. Thus, we can say that, for the warnings of climate science to make sense to everyone, that is, for us to learn to pay attention to the effects of anthropogenic actions, it is important that climate fiction make us feel, that is, that art invent stories that affect us to the point that we realize that, for planet Earth to continue habitable, it s necessary we build a healthy relationship with Gaia. This paper intends, therefore, to analyze the geopolitical implications caused by the ecological collapse, especially in the light of the oeuvre of Bruno Latour, but also from his dialogue with Dipesh Chakrabarty about the emergence of the Planetary, as well as from Margaret Atwood’s ustopian climate fiction, the MaddAddam trilogy.

This thesis expansively and inclusively puts forth the imaginings, research, processes and experiences behind my two thesis exhibitions, "Journeys into the unknown: a series of science architecture tasks and events, space-bound explorations and far-travels, discoveries and misses (near and far), imaginative space-gazing and related investigations, observations, orbits, and other repetitious monitoring tasks" and "Timed travel: asystematic accounts of regular and geometrical timekeeping, orbital flight, repetitive rotations and other journeys into actual time and slow space." It begins with an abstract interpretation of the dial: a tool not limited to scientific measurement but, instead, a gauge of an object’s overall position and general status. Equal parts scientific information, abstracted and fictionalized instruments and facts, and the personal experiences which provided these concrete informational elements with psychological and metaphorical meaning, this document is as much a record of time as it is an elucidation of my artistic practice and methodology.

The H.R. MacMillan Space Centre is a multi-faceted organization whose mission is to educate, inspire and evoke a sense of wonder about the universe, our planet and space exploration. As a popular, Vancouver science centre, it faces the same range of challenges and issues as other major attractions: how does the Space Centre maintain a healthy public attendance in an increasingly competitive market where visitors continue to be presented with an increasingly rich range of choices for their leisure spending and entertainment dollars?This front-end study investigated visitor attitudes, thoughts and preconceptions on the topic of space and astronomy. It also examined visitors’ motivations for coming to a space science centre. Useful insights were obtained which will be applied to improve future programme content and exhibit development.

Made available in DSpace on 2014-07-29T15:00:25Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Dissertacao Claudio Souza Martins.pdf: 1226571 bytes, checksum: 3a610499b3ad3463cc2341997d1ce15e (MD5) Previous issue date: 2009-04-20 / Despite the changes introduced in the Brazilian Educational System since the LDB from 1996, and of the introduction in the PCN s Natural Science of the transversal theme Earth and the Universe, it is still practically null the knowledge of the teachers about the Astronomy concepts presents in the school curriculum, the formal Education scope. This work emphasizes the need and importance of the study of Astronomy, analyses how the Museums and Science Centers, in particular Planetariums, as non-formal education spaces, can suppress partially this need, having in account that the education is not restricted to the classrooms, but happens on a diversity of other spaces where the human life develops and proposes a kind of minimize the teaching formation deficiencies to treat this theme. The Planetariums, devices destined to reproduce the starry sky, with the Sun, the Moon and the planets, as well as other astros, with their movements as we see then from Earth s surface, exist since Archimedes. It s conception evolved from small celestial globes and armillary spheres that can be placed on a table to huge Planetariums with thirty to forty meters of diameter domes, capable of shelter in it s interior three hundred people, and capable of simulating space travels through the Solar System or beyond the limits of our Galaxy to the frontiers of the known Universe. A special attention is given to the Planetarium of the UFG, for this being the space where the scientific education in it s formal, informal and non-formal aspects have been developed for more than thirty years by the staff that composes the faculty of this organ of the UFG. A brief historical of this Planetarium is presented, describing the work developed by the teaching staff. A research made with fundamental school teachers who brought their students to the Planetarium on the first semester of 2008 revealed the total acceptance of the service offered by the Planetarium with a derisory number of critics, what seems to be due to the immense lack of information about astronomy and to the only active presence of the Planetarium of the UFG on the Center West region of Brazil. With the intention of giving a step ahead in the qualification in Astronomy, is made a proposal of a course for the second stage Fundamental School teachers which could open new horizons for many Science teachers on the understanding of the scientific approach of the mysteries of the Cosmos. / Apesar das mudanças introduzidas no Sistema Educativo Brasileiro a partir da LDB de 1996, e da introdução nos PCN s de Ciências Naturais do tema transversal Terra e Universo, ainda é praticamente nulo o conhecimento dos professores sobre os conceitos de Astronomia presentes nos currículos escolares, âmbito da educação formal. Neste trabalho se enfatiza a necessidade e a importância do ensino da Astronomia, analisam-se como os Museus e centros de Ciência, particularmente os Planetários, espaços de ensino não formal, podem suprir parcialmente esta carência, tendo em conta que a educação não se restringe às salas de aula Acontece em diversos outros espaços em que a vida humana se desenvolve. Propõe-se também uma forma de minimizar as deficiências na formação dos professores para tratar este tema. Os Planetários, aparelhos destinados a reproduzir o céu estrelado, com o Sol, a Lua e os planetas, com seus movimentos tais como os vemos da superfície da Terra, existem desde Arquimedes. Sua concepção evoluiu desde pequenos globos celestes e esferas armilares que podem ser postos sobre uma mesa até os grandes Planetários, capazes de abrigar no seu interior centenas de pessoas, podendo simular viagens espaciais através do Sistema Solar ou além dos limites da nossa Galáxia até as fronteiras do Universo conhecido. Atenção especial é dada ao Planetário da UFG, por ser um espaço onde a educação em seus aspectos formal, informal e não formal tem sido desenvolvida há mais de trinta anos pela equipe que compõe o corpo docente deste órgão da UFG. Um breve histórico deste Planetário é apresentado, descrevendo-se o trabalho desenvolvido pela equipe de professores. Uma pesquisa realizada junto a professores do Ensino Fundamental que trouxeram seus alunos ao Planetário no primeiro semestre de 2008 revelou a total aceitação do serviço oferecido pelo Planetário com um número irrisório de críticas, o que parece ser decorrente da imensa carência de informações sobre a Astronomia e da única presença atuante do Planetário da UFG na região Centro Oeste do Brasil. Com a intenção de dar um passo à frente na qualificação em Astronomia, permitindo que os professores possam trabalhar o tema Terra e Universo, é feita uma proposta de um curso para professores da segunda fase do Ensino Fundamental que pode abrir novos horizontes para diversos professores de Ciências na compreensão da abordagem científica dos mistérios do Cosmos.

Submitted by Cássia Santos (cassia.bcufg@gmail.com) on 2015-03-20T14:16:34Z No. of bitstreams: 2 Dissertação - Fernando Roberto Jayme Alves - 2013.pdf: 4546347 bytes, checksum: 5791ab84e3b15b55096cd6bef165938f (MD5) license_rdf: 23148 bytes, checksum: 9da0b6dfac957114c6a7714714b86306 (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Luciana Ferreira (lucgeral@gmail.com) on 2015-03-20T14:31:30Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 2 Dissertação - Fernando Roberto Jayme Alves - 2013.pdf: 4546347 bytes, checksum: 5791ab84e3b15b55096cd6bef165938f (MD5) license_rdf: 23148 bytes, checksum: 9da0b6dfac957114c6a7714714b86306 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2015-03-20T14:31:33Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 2 Dissertação - Fernando Roberto Jayme Alves - 2013.pdf: 4546347 bytes, checksum: 5791ab84e3b15b55096cd6bef165938f (MD5) license_rdf: 23148 bytes, checksum: 9da0b6dfac957114c6a7714714b86306 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2013-12-17 / Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior - CAPES / The seasons of the year are an astronomical topic of great relevance to geographical studies. Approach the seasons from the Earth's surface requires understanding of the apparent annual movement of the Sun on the celestial sphere. It is a broad subject that, in most cases, is not satisfactorily understood by students or even by teachers. Several studies have pointed to various problems about the teaching and learning of the seasons. The causes range from poor training of teachers regarding astronomical themes to the high level of abstraction that these contents require in order to be understood. On the other hand, the planetariums constitute prime locations for the (re)construction of knowledge, because they meet appropriate conditions for pedagogical practice of topics involving the celestial phenomena. This is a space whose function is the teaching and dissemination of interdisciplinary scientific knowledge, being the astronomical more evidenced. In this perspective, we conducted a case study within the Planetarium of UFG whose general objective is to investigate, through the learning of students evaluated, if really this space science is effective for teaching the seasons of the year and what are their contributions in this context, whether they are positive or not. The Planetarium of UFG has an optical-mechanical projector with topocentric reference, in other words, a system of reference centered at the place of observation, on the Earth's surface. The empirical work involved 56 students through the application of two questionnaires directly related to a class held inside the dome of the planetarium. It was found that 24 students have achieved a good learning at the summit, 19 had a median learning and 13 had a poor learning. Although they remained several conceptual confusions, the lesson in the dome provided students with the development of a more decentralized and reversible reasoning of spatial relations between the observer and the directions of the geographical space, indicated by apparent annual movement of the Sun in the sky. Thus, we intend to discuss throughout this work the capacity of the Planetarium of UFG have to contribute to the learning of the seasons through the topocentric reference, making conceptual changes from the previous ideas found in students investigated. / As estações do ano constituem um tema astronômico de grande relevância para os estudos geográficos. Abordar as estações a partir da superfície terrestre requer a compreensão do movimento anual aparente do Sol na esfera celeste. Trata-se de um assunto amplo que, na maioria das vezes, não é compreendido satisfatoriamente pelos alunos ou até mesmo pelos professores. Vários estudos têm apontado para diversas dificuldades acerca do ensino e da aprendizagem das estações do ano. As causas variam desde a má formação dos professores a respeito dos temas astronômicos até ao elevado nível de abstração que tais conteúdos exigem para serem compreendidos. Por outro lado, os planetários constituem locais privilegiados para a (re)construção do conhecimento, pois reúnem condições adequadas para a prática pedagógica de temas que envolvem os fenômenos celestes. Trata-se de um espaço cuja função é o ensino e a difusão do conhecimento científico interdisciplinar, sendo o astronômico de forma mais evidenciada. Nesta perspectiva, realizou-se um estudo de caso no âmbito do Planetário da UFG cujo objetivo geral é investigar, por intermédio da aprendizagem dos alunos avaliados, se realmente este espaço de ciência é eficaz para o ensino das estações do ano e quais são suas contribuições neste contexto, sejam elas positivas ou não. O Planetário da UFG possui um projetor óptico-mecânico com referencial topocêntrico, isto é, um sistema de referência centrado no local de observação, na superfície terrestre. O trabalho empírico envolveu 56 alunos por meio da aplicação de dois questionários diretamente relacionados a uma aula realizada dentro da cúpula do planetário. Verificou-se que 24 discentes conseguiram alcançar um bom aprendizado na cúpula, 19 obtiveram um aprendizado mediano e 13 tiveram um aprendizado ruim. Embora tenham permanecido várias confusões conceituais, a aula na cúpula proporcionou aos alunos o desenvolvimento de um raciocínio mais descentralizado e reversível das relações espaciais entre o observador e as direções do espaço geográfico, indicadas pelo movimento diário e anual aparente do Sol no céu. Desse modo, pretende-se discutir ao longo deste trabalho a capacidade que o Planetário da UFG tem em contribuir para o aprendizado das estações do ano por meio do referencial topocêntrico, realizando mudanças conceituais a partir das ideias prévias constatadas nos alunos investigados

Science and technology is regularly featured on radio, in newspapers, and on television, but most people only get firsthand exposure to ‘cutting-edge’ technologies in museums and other exhibitions. During this period, the Science Museum was the only permanent national presentation of science and technology. Thus, it is important to acknowledge the Museum’s history and the socio-political framework in which it operated. Understanding the delays in the Museum’s physical development is critical, as is understanding the gradual changes in the Museum’s educational provision, audience, and purpose. While the Museum was the main national exhibition space, the Festival of Britain in 1951 also provided a platform for the presentation of science and technology and was a statement of Britain’s place within the new post-War world. Specifically, within its narrative, the Festival addressed the relationship between the arts and the sciences and the influence of science and technology on daily life. Another example of the presentation of science was the quest for a planetarium in London - a story that involves the Science Museum, entrepreneurs, and Madame Tussauds. Comparing the Museum’s efforts with successful planetarium schemes isolates several of the Museum’s weaknesses - for example, the lack of consistent leadership and the lack of administrative and financial freedom - that are touched on throughout the work. Since most of this history is unknown, this work provides a fundamental basis for understanding the Museum’s current position, for making connections and comparisons that can apply to similar problems at other institutions, and for learning lessons from the struggles that can, in turn, be applied to other institutions.

Depuis l’entrée en vigueur du Programme de formation de l’école québécoise en 2001, l’astronomie est à nouveau enseignée dans les classes du Québec. Malheureusement, l’école est mal outillée pour enseigner des concepts astronomiques complexes se déroulant pour la plupart en dehors des heures de classe et sur de longues périodes de temps. Sans compter que bien des phénomènes astronomiques mettent en jeu des astres se déplaçant dans un espace tridimensionnel auquel nous n’avons pas accès depuis notre point de vue géocentrique. Les phases de la Lune, concept prescrit au premier cycle du secondaire, sont de ceux-là. Heureusement, l’école peut compter sur l’appui du planétarium, musée de sciences dédié à la présentation, en accéléré et à toute heure du jour, de simulations ultra réalistes de divers phénomènes astronomiques. Mais quel type de planétarium secondera l’école ? Récemment, les planétariums ont eux aussi subi leur propre révolution : ces institutions sont passées de l’analogique au numérique, remplaçant les projecteurs optomécaniques géocentriques par des projecteurs vidéo qui offrent la possibilité de se déplacer virtuellement dans une simulation de l’Univers tridimensionnel complètement immersive. Bien que la recherche en éducation dans les planétariums se soit peu penchée sur ce nouveau paradigme, certaines de ses conclusions basées sur l’étude des planétariums analogiques peuvent nous aider à concevoir une intervention didactique fructueuse dans ces nouveaux simulateurs numériques. Mais d’autres sources d’inspiration seront invoquées, au premier chef la didactique des sciences, qui conçoit l’apprentissage non plus comme la transmission de connaissances, mais plutôt comme la construction de savoirs par les apprenants eux-mêmes, avec et contre leurs conceptions premières. La conception d’environnements d’apprentissages constructivistes, dont le planétarium numérique est un digne représentant, et l’utilisation des simulations en astronomie, complèteront notre cadre théorique et mèneront à la conception d’une intervention didactique à propos des phases de la Lune dans un planétarium numérique s’adressant à des élèves âgés de 12 à 14 ans. Cette intervention didactique a été mise à l’essai une première fois dans le cadre d’une recherche de développement (ingénierie didactique) visant à l’améliorer, à la fois sur son versant théorique et sur son versant pratique, par le biais de multiples itérations dans le milieu « naturel » où elle se déploie, ici un planétarium numérique gonflable de six mètres de diamètre. Nous présentons les résultats de notre première itération, réalisée en compagnie de six jeunes de 12 à 14 ans (quatre garçons et deux filles) dont nous avons recueilli les conceptions à propos des phases de la Lune avant, pendant et après l’intervention par le biais d’entrevues de groupe, questionnaires, mises en situation et enregistrement des interventions tout au long de l’activité. L'évaluation a été essentiellement qualitative, basée sur les traces obtenues tout au long de la séance, en particulier sous la voûte du planétarium. Ce matériel a ensuite été analysé pour valider les concepts théoriques qui ont mené à la conception de l'intervention didactique, d'une part, mais aussi pour faire émerger des améliorations possibles visant à bonifier l'intervention. Nous avons ainsi constaté que l'intervention provoque effectivement l'évolution des conceptions de la majorité des participants à propos des phases de la Lune, mais nous avons également identifié des façons de rendre l’intervention encore plus efficace à l’avenir. / Since the Quebec Education Program came into effect in 2001, Quebec classrooms have again been teaching astronomy. Unfortunately, schools are ill-equipped to teach complex astronomical concepts, most of which occur outside school hours and over long periods of time. Furthermore, many astronomical phenomena involve celestial objects travelling through three-dimensional space, which we cannot access from our geocentric point of view. The lunar phases, a concept prescribed in secondary cycle one, fall into that category. Fortunately, schools can count on support from the planetarium, a science museum dedicated to presenting ultra-realistic simulations of astronomical phenomena in fast time and at any hour of the day. But what type of planetarium will support schools? Recently, planetariums also underwent their own revolution: they switched from analogue to digital, replacing geocentric opto-mechanical projectors with video projectors that offer the possibility of travelling virtually through a completely immersive simulation of the three-dimensional Universe. Although research into planetarium education has focused little on this new paradigm, certain of its conclusions, based on the study of analogue planetariums, can help us develop a rewarding teaching intervention in these new digital simulators. But other sources of inspiration will be cited, primarily the teaching of science, which views learning no longer as the transfer of knowledge, but rather as the construction of knowledge by the learners themselves, with and against their initial conceptions. The conception and use of constructivist learning environments, of which the digital planetarium is a fine example, and the use of simulations in astronomy will complete our theoretical framework and lead to the conception of a teaching intervention focusing on the lunar phases in a digital planetarium and targeting students aged 12 to 14. This teaching intervention was initially tested as part of development research (didactic engineering) aimed at improving it, both theoretically and practically, through multiple iterations in its “natural” environment, in this case an inflatable digital planetarium six metres in diameter. We are presenting the results of our first iteration, completed with help from six children aged 12 to 14 (four boys and two girls) whose conceptions about the lunar phases were noted before, during and after the intervention through group interviews, questionnaires, group exercises and recordings of the interventions throughout the activity. The evaluation was essentially qualitative, based on the traces obtained throughout the session, in particular within the planetarium itself. This material was then analyzed to validate the theoretical concepts that led to the conception of the teaching intervention and also to reveal possible ways to improve the intervention. We noted that the intervention indeed changed most participants’ conceptions about the lunar phases, but also identified ways to boost its effectiveness in the future.

Depuis l’entrée en vigueur du Programme de formation de l’école québécoise en 2001, l’astronomie est à nouveau enseignée dans les classes du Québec. Malheureusement, l’école est mal outillée pour enseigner des concepts astronomiques complexes se déroulant pour la plupart en dehors des heures de classe et sur de longues périodes de temps. Sans compter que bien des phénomènes astronomiques mettent en jeu des astres se déplaçant dans un espace tridimensionnel auquel nous n’avons pas accès depuis notre point de vue géocentrique. Les phases de la Lune, concept prescrit au premier cycle du secondaire, sont de ceux-là. Heureusement, l’école peut compter sur l’appui du planétarium, musée de sciences dédié à la présentation, en accéléré et à toute heure du jour, de simulations ultra réalistes de divers phénomènes astronomiques. Mais quel type de planétarium secondera l’école ? Récemment, les planétariums ont eux aussi subi leur propre révolution : ces institutions sont passées de l’analogique au numérique, remplaçant les projecteurs optomécaniques géocentriques par des projecteurs vidéo qui offrent la possibilité de se déplacer virtuellement dans une simulation de l’Univers tridimensionnel complètement immersive. Bien que la recherche en éducation dans les planétariums se soit peu penchée sur ce nouveau paradigme, certaines de ses conclusions basées sur l’étude des planétariums analogiques peuvent nous aider à concevoir une intervention didactique fructueuse dans ces nouveaux simulateurs numériques. Mais d’autres sources d’inspiration seront invoquées, au premier chef la didactique des sciences, qui conçoit l’apprentissage non plus comme la transmission de connaissances, mais plutôt comme la construction de savoirs par les apprenants eux-mêmes, avec et contre leurs conceptions premières. La conception d’environnements d’apprentissages constructivistes, dont le planétarium numérique est un digne représentant, et l’utilisation des simulations en astronomie, complèteront notre cadre théorique et mèneront à la conception d’une intervention didactique à propos des phases de la Lune dans un planétarium numérique s’adressant à des élèves âgés de 12 à 14 ans. Cette intervention didactique a été mise à l’essai une première fois dans le cadre d’une recherche de développement (ingénierie didactique) visant à l’améliorer, à la fois sur son versant théorique et sur son versant pratique, par le biais de multiples itérations dans le milieu « naturel » où elle se déploie, ici un planétarium numérique gonflable de six mètres de diamètre. Nous présentons les résultats de notre première itération, réalisée en compagnie de six jeunes de 12 à 14 ans (quatre garçons et deux filles) dont nous avons recueilli les conceptions à propos des phases de la Lune avant, pendant et après l’intervention par le biais d’entrevues de groupe, questionnaires, mises en situation et enregistrement des interventions tout au long de l’activité. L'évaluation a été essentiellement qualitative, basée sur les traces obtenues tout au long de la séance, en particulier sous la voûte du planétarium. Ce matériel a ensuite été analysé pour valider les concepts théoriques qui ont mené à la conception de l'intervention didactique, d'une part, mais aussi pour faire émerger des améliorations possibles visant à bonifier l'intervention. Nous avons ainsi constaté que l'intervention provoque effectivement l'évolution des conceptions de la majorité des participants à propos des phases de la Lune, mais nous avons également identifié des façons de rendre l’intervention encore plus efficace à l’avenir. / Since the Quebec Education Program came into effect in 2001, Quebec classrooms have again been teaching astronomy. Unfortunately, schools are ill-equipped to teach complex astronomical concepts, most of which occur outside school hours and over long periods of time. Furthermore, many astronomical phenomena involve celestial objects travelling through three-dimensional space, which we cannot access from our geocentric point of view. The lunar phases, a concept prescribed in secondary cycle one, fall into that category. Fortunately, schools can count on support from the planetarium, a science museum dedicated to presenting ultra-realistic simulations of astronomical phenomena in fast time and at any hour of the day. But what type of planetarium will support schools? Recently, planetariums also underwent their own revolution: they switched from analogue to digital, replacing geocentric opto-mechanical projectors with video projectors that offer the possibility of travelling virtually through a completely immersive simulation of the three-dimensional Universe. Although research into planetarium education has focused little on this new paradigm, certain of its conclusions, based on the study of analogue planetariums, can help us develop a rewarding teaching intervention in these new digital simulators. But other sources of inspiration will be cited, primarily the teaching of science, which views learning no longer as the transfer of knowledge, but rather as the construction of knowledge by the learners themselves, with and against their initial conceptions. The conception and use of constructivist learning environments, of which the digital planetarium is a fine example, and the use of simulations in astronomy will complete our theoretical framework and lead to the conception of a teaching intervention focusing on the lunar phases in a digital planetarium and targeting students aged 12 to 14. This teaching intervention was initially tested as part of development research (didactic engineering) aimed at improving it, both theoretically and practically, through multiple iterations in its “natural” environment, in this case an inflatable digital planetarium six metres in diameter. We are presenting the results of our first iteration, completed with help from six children aged 12 to 14 (four boys and two girls) whose conceptions about the lunar phases were noted before, during and after the intervention through group interviews, questionnaires, group exercises and recordings of the interventions throughout the activity. The evaluation was essentially qualitative, based on the traces obtained throughout the session, in particular within the planetarium itself. This material was then analyzed to validate the theoretical concepts that led to the conception of the teaching intervention and also to reveal possible ways to improve the intervention. We noted that the intervention indeed changed most participants’ conceptions about the lunar phases, but also identified ways to boost its effectiveness in the future.