Students at Centennial Schools learn about the Solar System and Astrobiology during the CU-STARs visit on Monday. A view of the surface of the moon from inside the mobile planetarium. /Courier photos by Helen Smith

SAN LUIS — Students at Centennial School District got to experience the world of astronomy on Monday.

The CU-STARs Program came and led a day of hands-on science classes that related to astronomy and technology. Students got to learn about the solar system and also had the opportunity to step inside an inflatable planetarium.

Students also built Lego models of the solar system and searched for sunspots and flares on the surface of the sun using a solar telescope.

Other topics that classrooms got to learn about included Black Holes, the Moon, and Astrobiology. The classroom activities sessions were all led by CU students.

The CU-STARs program is in its seventh year and is run by Erica Ellingson, Professor of Astronomy at the University of Colorado-Boulder. As part of the CU Outreach Program, the group seeks to build a community of undergraduate science majors from diverse backgrounds.

Ellingson is hopeful that the program will continue strong and emphasize the importance of science, especially astronomy. The CU-STARs program has visited rural school districts across Colorado with an emphasis on areas that have limited access to science enrichment programs. This was the first time that the program has come to San Luis.