By Kelly Kayne
The planetarium still holds memories of school excursions, sitting back in the recliner seats watching the solar system move around the dome, and it was enough to blow my tiny mind. Having revisited the Planetarium as an adult to see Pink Floyd’s ‘The Wall’, I was still impressed with the quality of the projections and the world-class acoustics. The recent $1.2million upgrade has taken the Planetarium to the next level.
Melbourne Planetarium Digital Production Designer, Warik Lawrance explains, “Not only will the image be three times brighter but with thirty-six million pixels on the dome, it will be three times sharper. This will look amazing, and help to produce the most accurate and clear stars possible.”
Moon ONE was written by the Planetarium’s resident Extragalactic Astronomer, Dr Tanya Hill and takes you a journey of the moon via the narration of a Virtual Reality games developer, struggling to figure out what is going wrong with her new game, which is based in real science.
At my screening, there was an eclectic mix of young and old which was a nice surprise. The production is written for a young audience to understand, but the moon clearly still intrigues all ages.
The thirty minute viewing is just enough to feel entertained and informed and keeps children quiet and in their seats. The ‘What’s in the Night Sky?’ session that follows is a great way to see the seasonal constellations in Melbourne and learn how to identify Orion’s Belt, Mars, the Southern Cross and receive a valuable lesson in navigation via the Southern Celestial Pole.
If you haven’t taken your children to the Planetarium and Scienceworks, it’s well worth a visit. There is nothing quite like it in immersive learning and their interactive exhibitions keep even the most tech savvy youngsters engaged.
Moonbase ONE Opens from March 9, 2019 at Scienceworks,
1 Booker St, Spotswood VIC 3015. Tickets and more information at: museumsvictoria.com.au/scienceworks/whats-on/moonbase-one/
All images provided by Museums Victoria
