Astroturismo no planetário da UFSM: análise da experiência dos visitantes

Abstract

Astrotourism is an activity of contemplation of the night sky and observation of celestial bodies, which includes planets, asteroids, stars, comets, eclipses, nebulae, galaxies and various phenomena. Some of the most common astrotourism products include sky observation, visits to observatories and planetariums, astronomical parks, specialized accommodations that offer astronomy-related activities, and events organized with the aim of observing different celestial phenomena in the sky. The main objective of this research was to analyze the profile of the visiting public of the UFSM Planetarium. The methodology used is qualitative/quantitative, exploratory in nature, encompassing bibliographic research related to the main theme and application of on-site questionnaires with the target audience and availability of an online form, both computed on the google forms platform. The study was conducted from June to October 2023, obtaining 264 responses, without identifying the respondents. The following stand out: public in the age group of 18 to 39 years; visitors residing in the municipality of Santa Maria; they were already aware of the planetarium; frequency of visitation in the range of 1 to 2 times; consider astronomy to be very important; more than half have already participated in a summit session and evaluated the experience and the Planetarium as excellent; Most recommend visiting and experiencing. The study demonstrated the potential for the development of more research in the academic field on the subject of astrotourism