Winner of the 2015 Times Higher Education Award for
"Widening Participation or Outreach Initiative of the Year"
The Stardome Portable Planetarium
Our portable planetarium is available for KS1, KS2 and KS3 school visits accompanied by a qualified Astrophysicist. Multiple planetarium shows are available for different age groups with bespoke presentations and supporting activities available on request.
Further information
- The Stardome is available for full-day school visits for £300 per day (half-day visits are available for nearby schools by special request). Discounts are available for schools with a high percentage of students receiving free school meals.
- The Stardome can house approximately 30 students at a time, and a few adults. Students should be accompanied by teachers at all times.
- We recommend that class visits to the Stardome are scheduled for 45-60 minutes, but we can be flexible to fit with your class timetable. A minimum of 30 minutes is needed to allow time getting in and out and a briefing.
- We typically arrive at the school at 8am and will be ready for the first class at 9am. We can be flexible in scheduling classes throughout the day, but please allow time for a brief lunch break (a school lunch is appreciated to save time).
- We offer multiple different planetarium shows suitable for KS1, KS2 and KS3 and are able to adapt our presentations to your curriculum needs.
Important set-up details
- The Stardome requires a large, safe indoor space to be set up, at least 8m wide and 3.5m high, with a normal 13 amp socket for power. The Stardome cannot be set up outside or on a rough floor. Please ensure your space is large enough to accommodate the Stardome.
- Due to the time it takes to set up (1 hour), it needs to remain in place and inflated for the entire duration of the visit.
- If the Planetarium is used in a hall where students are eating lunch we request that efforts are made to keep students away from the Stardome during the lunch break.
- Vehicle access to the school site is necessary and it can be helpful if we can park as close to where the Stardome will be set up, to make loading and unloading easy.
- Disabled access to the Stardome is possible, but advance notice is appreciated to ensure smooth access.