SCHOOLCHILDREN have been looking to the skies to try and find out how the universe ticks.

An astronomy club at Barnard Castle school has been launched by physics teacher Dr James Wilson and it is equipped with the latest Newtonian reflector 900mm telescope.

Astrophysicist Dr Wilson is just the man for the job as he has grown up with stars - his father was a member of the European Space Agency that put satellites into space.

Club members did not get the clear conditions they had hoped for during their first attempt at sky watching.

But before they called it a night, the clouds parted to reveal the moon and Saturn complete with its rings.

"It was absolutely fantastic," said Dr Wilson. "Once the clouds broke, the conditions were really clear and you could see the rings of Saturn.

"I have always been interested in the planets and the stars.

"I am interested in the way the universe works from particle physics to black holes and supernovas - which is why I became a teacher, to pass this enthusiasm on."

Pupil Christopher Anderson, of Hamsterley, was able to see a very remote piece of land which had been bought for him and his sister by their father.

"My dad got us an acre of the moon as a present and I had the co-ordinates. I couldn't believe it when I actually spotted it."