Fifth-graders at Bobby Ray Elementary gazed at the night sky and discovered the twinkle, twinkle of all the stars and learned exactly what they are.

Billy Hix, a former NASA employee and science professor, visited Bobby Ray on Monday and set up a dome-shaped planetarium for fifth-grade science students to learn about the stars, constellations, the moon and the solar system.

Stars and planets were projected onto the ceiling and walls of the dome. Hix focused on the importance of education and made learning more interesting by using images and videos, telling stories and having students participate in the lessons. 

“My favorite part was learning how the moon was created when the planet, Theia, crashed into the Earth,” says Audrina Garcia, 10.

Hix touched on the Greek mythology of the constellation Cassiopeia, the size of the sun, how the moon was created and other astronomy-related topics. 

“I learned the stars can tell you stories,” says Jabien Martin, 11. “If you look deep into the stars, you can see stories in the sky.”

Over 68,000 students and teachers have entered the planetarium since it was purchased. Each year, Hix visits between 100 and 120 schools. The program was sponsored by the Tennessee STEM Innovation Network. Bobby Ray was one of 10 schools chosen for the planetarium visit this year.

“My goal is not to turn students into astronomers, but to excite students about learning in general,” says Hix. “They need to see that the deeper you dig into learning a subject, the more interesting it becomes. Also, we want students to embrace the concept of being science literate.”

Hix’s accolades include being the CEO of TeachSTEM, LLC, an organization that conducts STEM outreach to rural schools, the Education Ambassador to Chile, the leading STEM teacher in the United States by the Space Foundation, Tennessee Science Teacher of the Year, and NASA’s Solar System Ambassador for the nation.