The astronomer’s science Easter cake arrives in the year of the total solar eclipse

The added value of this mona - what makes it different from the others - is that it includes a QR code that can be used to access a website with informative content aimed at children and the general public. In the case of the astronomer figure, it contains information about what astronomy studies, the bodies that make up the solar system, the life of stars and galaxies, the evolution of the universe, and the tools that professionals and amateurs use to explore it. There are plenty of little secrets for children to discover, such as what black holes are or how many planets are known to exist outside our solar system. There is also information on the different types of telescopes and detectors available, as well as on cutting-edge technological tools such as gravitational wave detectors. All the content shares a common theme: showing that women have always been present in astronomy and are currently playing a leading role in the current developments in this discipline.

The mona has two central figures, the sun and the moon. "These figures can be used to simulate a total solar eclipse with children, like the one that will be visible this year," says Núria Miret, a professor at the Faculty of Physics who coordinated the scientific work on the Easter cake together with Francesca Figueras, also a lecturer at the Faculty. The astronomy-themed Easter cake arrives just in time for the year in which Catalonia will experience a total solar eclipse, visible for the first time in over a century, which will also be the subject of dissemination activities organized by the UB.

"The mona also features a chocolate telescope, a classic telescope like the one used by Assumpció Català, a professor at the UB, our professor and the first professional astronomer at a Spanish university," notes Francesca Figueras. In fact, this dissemination initiative is part of the series of activities organized to mark the centenary of the birth of Maria Assumpció Català i Poch, a commemoration coordinated by the Institut Català de les Dones.

As for the website, both researchers explain that it contains very comprehensive information and that the content "will remain relevant beyond the Mona campaign: it can be very useful, for example, for talks and lectures in schools and civic centres". It contains, among other things, activities for younger children and materials to introduce teenagers to complex concepts such as dark matter.

Science Easter cakes: geologists, biologists, archaeologists or astronomers

Mones de ciència is a project by La UB Divulga, in collaboration with the Barcelona patisserie guild, which each year is dedicated to a different scientific discipline. In the first three editions, the Mona figure was a geologist, a biologist and an archaeologist. In fact, you can choose to buy any of the three science Easter cakes produced so far. A list of the bakeries where they can be purchased is available on the La UB Divulga website.