Lecture: Debunking Astronomical Myths as a Way to Form the Scientific Worldview of Students
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Today, November 11, 2025, the Faculty of Computer Science, Physics and Mathematics hosted an extremely interesting and insightful lecture on the topic "Debunking Astronomical Myths as a Way to Form the Scientific Worldview of Students".
The lecturer was the Head of the Department of Physics, Professor Serhiy Heorhiyovych Kuzmenkov.
The lecture brought together faculty, students, as well as teachers and students from general secondary education institutions who seek to develop their own critical thinking and scientific worldview.
Lecture: Debunking Astronomical Myths as a Way to Form the Scientific Worldview of Students
At the beginning of the lecture, Professor Kuzmenkov S.H. defined the concepts of "myth" and "scientific worldview" and explained why mythological thinking is an obstacle to the development of science and civilization in general. Myths arise due to a misunderstanding of natural phenomena, a lack of critical thinking, and conscious (or unconscious) manipulation.
The professor demonstrated the following astronomical myths and their refutations:
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The Myth of the Perpetual "Dark Side" of the Moon: It was emphasized that although the Moon always faces the Earth with the same side, both sides are illuminated by the Sun in turn, which causes the change in the Moon's phases for Earth observers.
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Earthrise on the Moon: Professor Kuzmenkov S.H. answered the question of how long "lunar people" would have to wait for the Earth to rise on the Moon, and why they ultimately wouldn't be able to witness it.
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The Myth of "Stars from Wells": Using simple calculations, Serhiy Heorhiyovych proved that it is impossible to see stars from a deep well during the daytime.
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The Problem "From Gun to the Moon": It was determined what the length of the cannon would have to be in Jules Verne's novel From the Earth to the Moon Direct in 97 Hours 20 Minutes so that the travelers would experience an acceleration no greater than $10g$ during the shot.
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Flight to Mars: It is impossible to fly to Mars using the shortest trajectory (a straight line) with the current development of astronautics. The lecture then addressed what the most fuel-efficient trajectory (Hohmann transfer orbit) for a flight to Mars should be, and how long this journey would last.
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The Lunar Conspiracy: The most common claims of conspiracy theorists who deny the 1969 landing of the Apollo 11 crew (Neil Armstrong, Michael Collins, and Buzz Aldrin) were thoroughly examined and refuted.
The lecture served as a vivid example of how Physics and Astronomy help develop critical thinking and distinguish scientific facts from fiction.
