Bristol teenagers gaze at stars of the telescope world

More than 500 teenagers had the chance to use some of the most advanced telescopes in the world at an event in Bristol.

The Institute of Physics held a lecture at the Hexagon Theatre at Kingsfield School in Kingswood to mark the International Year of Astronomy.

After the talk by astronomer Dr Andrew Newsam, students aged 14 to 16 were given the opportunity to use the telescopes to hunt for asteroids, plants and exploding stars.

The schools involved were Mangotsfield, Kingsfield, The Grange, Sir Bernard Lovell, Kingswood and Red Maids' schools.

Organiser Peter Adamson, leader of science at Mangotsfield Secondary School, said: "We felt this was a great chance to inspire students from a much wider area than just our own school and hopefully spark an interest in science through a hands-on experience."