More than 100 children and teenagers gathered at Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (Buet) yesterday evening (19 September) to see the Moon’s craters up close through telescopes.

For many of them, the familiar Moon suddenly appeared much bigger as they peered through the telescopes and saw its surface clearly.

The children, mostly aged between 5 and 16, had gathered at the university’s playground with their parents out of curiosity about space and the Moon.

The event was jointly organised by the Bangladesh Astronomical Association and Buet, with support from the Buet Satyen Bose Science Club. The programme ran from 6pm to 10pm, with visitors getting the opportunity to observe the Moon through two telescopes operated by the Astronomical Association and the science club.

Alongside the Moon-gazing session, organisers arranged an exhibition on space, lectures and an astronomy quiz for children. Certificates, badges and posters were given to participants as gifts.

The exhibition featured posters on space and the possibilities for human activity there. Posters on the historic Apollo missions, through which humans first reached the Moon, and NASA’s Artemis programme particularly drew visitors’ attention.

The Artemis programme and its recent research around the Moon were also explained, alongside information on lunar research and the possibilities of future human habitation and research there.

Mohammad Main Uddin Firoz, an assistant professor of Peace, Conflict and Human Rights at Bangladesh University of Professionals, brought his seven-year-old child to the event.

“I found out about the event on Facebook. The main purpose is to introduce children to the fact that the Moon can be seen this way, and that there is something called a telescope. If they gradually become familiar with these things, their interest will develop,” he said.

“Children have energy. If you can connect that energy with something they are interested in, they will invest that energy in it,” he added.

Ausaf Azmain Rafa, a first-grade student at Buet School, was among those who got to see the Moon through a telescope.

“I saw the Moon through a telescope. It looked really big, and I could see small holes, like craters, on its surface,” he said.

According to organisers, the Bangladesh Astronomical Association, established in 1988, has more than 1,000 members. It publishes a magazine called Mohakash Barta and organises various programmes to popularise astronomy, including the Astro Olympiad, Space Fest and Surya Utsab.

Moshurl Amin, founder of the Bangladesh Astronomical Association, said the event was part of NASA’s International Observe the Moon Night programme, which people around the world observe.

“This is the first time we are taking part in NASA’s programme. Our main objective is to create an interest in science among people,” he said.