Eighth graders from Lewiston and Auburn made a long, long, looong distance call this morning, talking to astronauts aboard the International Space Station.

The link between the students and the six Expedition 35 crew members aboard the space station was part of “Starstruck,” a 2012 Bates College Museum of Art astrophotography exhibition.

The students visited “Starstruck” and researched images in the exhibit to prepare for the talk. They also researched comets and geomagnetic storms and modeled the solar system, according to Bates officials.

Visiting teams of astronauts have been living aboard the space station continuously since Nov. 2, 2000, and it orbits about 240 miles above the Earth.