On Tuesday (7^th May), the invention of the modern public planetarium experience will celebrate its 99^thbirthday with the International Day of Planetariums. These spaces are designed to capture the magic of the night sky whatever the weather.

According to the International Planetarium Society (IPS), there are over 4,000 planetariums located throughout five continents of the world.  These can range from a simple light source and drilled holes to project stars, complex opto-mechanical systems and even portable domes which specialise in reaching remote communities.

Others, like at Dynamic Earth in Edinburgh, use advanced digital systems that super-charge the night sky experience for audiences. In addition to having one of the UK’s highest resolution planetariums, it also has an innovative inflatable planetarium, ‘the Dinky Dome’, that is taken by its expert in-house astronomers to engage school communities in the remoter parts of the country.

Dr Alastair Bruce is an astronomer and head of Dynamic Earth’s planetarium. He explained the appeal of these facilities: “A planetarium is a magical space that takes you on a journey to other worlds that exist far beyond our fragile planet Earth.  You can travel through time or simply gaze up in awe at the rich tapestry of stars above our heads.

“For many people, these views are all-too-often obscured by clouds or city light-pollution and it’s the planetarium that opens eyes to the wonders of the night, our own Milky Way. Of course, Scotland is very fortunate to have some amazing dark skies but there will always be a special place in our hearts for the humble planetarium.”

“In the Dynamic Earth planetarium our small band of astronomers share our passion for all things astronomical.  Our extra live shows, 20 in total and running between 4 to 7 May offer a little bit of everything: storytelling, entertainment and inspiration. Our immersive, high-resolution planetarium is a wonderful place to lose yourself in another world for a time and we hope lots of people will join us this weekend to sit back for our special live shows and a journey through the Universe.”

To celebrate the International Day of Planetariums, this bank holiday weekend Saturday –Tuesday , Dynamic Earth will host five special daily live shows. Each with its own unique charm and all created by the team since coming on board in 2020.

The live shows include:

You are Here: A breath-taking journey to the edge of our solar system and back (11am)

What’s Up?: Gaze up at the current night sky and catch up on astro-news (12 noon)

Under Pressure: Take a deep dive into the global ocean and explore hidden ecosystems (1pm)

Don’t Panic: Explore causes for optimism about our future (2pm)

What a Wonderful Webb: Learn the story of Webb and marvel at the images captured (3pm).

There will also be six special screenings of We are Stars, a film narrated by Andy Serkis (captioned screening at 4pm) and 5pm. Recommended age 5+.