The Itinerant Planetarium project, promoted by the Youth and Tourism Departments of the Cabildo de La Palma and the public company Sodepal through the Astrotourism Dissemination and Promotion Programme, concludes its first phase of activities with the participation of more than 1,400 students from the island.

The island president, Sergio Rodríguez, highlights the didactic role of this new project. "We believe that the work carried out by the Astrotourism Outreach and Promotion Programme with the Cabildo Planetarium is very important, as it not only transmits knowledge, but also works to raise awareness of the defence of the night sky, learning to recognise birds such as the shearwater, and stimulating possible scientific vocations that have yet to be defined among the students", he emphasises.

Since the creation of this Travelling Planetarium, six educational centres in four municipalities of the island have been visited, where the students were able to enjoy a spectacular immersive video of the Solar System, followed by a section in which the need to defend this resource with the Sky Protection Act is shared, and in which not only the Observatory and Astrotourism are discussed, but also nocturnal biodiversity. Finally, the students observed a representation of the dark sky with its constellations and shooting stars.

The planetarium is already preparing to participate in upcoming events, such as the Starmus Festival and the Miniferias de la Ciencia en La Palma, as well as the programming of the next phase with visits to more schools.

The Cabildo is pursuing the idea of creating more informative and interactive projects on science and astro-tourism, taking advantage of one of the great natural resources of La Palma.