Spring Into Space At Stardome

As we celebrate the return to kōanga (spring), Stardome is the place to gravitate towards for an exciting programme of films, live music, school holiday entertainment and stargazing. The kōanga season also includes a celebration of Earth’s natural satellite, the Moon.

IN THE SKY
As we make the transition from winter to spring, we experience what's known as a vernal equinox on September 23. This is when day and night are of equal length. This spring the likelihood of more solar flares, aurorae, and solar activity continues as the Sun remains near the peak of its 11-year solar cycle.

Our lunar friend takes up some space on September 18 with the rise of the Super Moon. On this date there will also be a partial lunar eclipse which unless you're in Europe or Africa will not be visible.

ON THE EARTH
International Observe the Moon Night. On Saturday September 14 join this worldwide public celebration that encourages observation, appreciation and understanding of our Moon and its connection to space science and human culture. More here: moon.nasa.gov/observe.

Stardome is offering two screenings of a 30-minute immersive indoor dome planetarium show called ‘Te Marama (The Moon)’. The show explores how the Moon came to be, how it impacts life here on Earth, its phases, and the maramataka (Māori lunar calendar). If weather permits, people will be able to view the Moon until 10.30pm with free access to the Zeiss and courtyard telescopes with every planetarium ticket purchased. The evening ends with a 9pm screening of Pink Floyd - The Dark Side of the Moon, now in its final weeks. (The Pink Floyd show is an additional charge).

Strings Under the Stars. Music and space converge for this limited 12 performance event from September 19 – 28. This stellar series offers a performance by a string quartet of Auckland Philharmonia musicians. Audiences can enjoy selections from Holst’s iconic work, The Planets, and the premiere of a new piece by New Zealand composer Kirsten Strom, commissioned by Auckland Philharmonia. Accompanied by a Stardome planetarium show that's intricately designed to complement and elevate the music, this will be a special live music experience that's not to be missed.

School Holiday Action. September 30 – October 11. Choose from three fun options these school holidays, whatever your budget. Roving the Red Planet offers kids a 2.5 hour event that includes an educator-led session on robotics, a planetarium show, and water bottle rocket launching (weather dependent). With spot prizes, sessions include building and coding of a LEGO Mars Rover to drive over the Martian surface, before racing other crews through a Martian maze to the finish line.

Every $10 ticket purchased to the weekday family-friendly planetarium shows includes an outdoor water bottle rocket launch (weather dependent) and a scavenger hunt for LEGO invaders. For $5 you can do the scavenger hunt and gain access to the gallery. Bookings and more info here: https://www.stardome.org.nz/school-holidays

Ngā Wāhanga o te Tau: Kōanga. Every Tuesday. Following on from the Matariki season is the seasonal show that expands beyond Matariki and shows what else is above us in the Aotearoa New Zealand skies. Ngā Wāhanga o te Tau: Kōanga (Seasons of the Year: Spring) is an introduction to Māori astronomy and the maramataka (Māori lunar calendar). Get to know the whetū (stars) of kōanga (spring) and how they inform the way we interact with the taiao (natural environment). Tickets are just $5.

Sci-fi at Stardome Running fortnightly until the end of the year this series of iconic films offers something for everyone. This spring serves up some classic films including Tim Burton’s Mars Attacks! and WALL-E. 

IN THE NEWS
Humans exploring space makes headlines this spring with the launch of four probes. NASA is set to launch their Europa Clipper probe to Jupiter’s moon, scheduled to launch in October. NASA is also planning to launch two probes to Mars called ESCAPADE in September, built here in Aotearoa New Zealand by Rocket Lab. ESA is also set to launch their HERA probe in October to explore the asteroid Didymos, which NASA hit with a spacecraft in 2022.

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