Starlight

What: Planetarium
When: Terms 1 and 3, Monday to Friday
Duration: 45 minutes in the Planetarium
Curriculum links & Accessibility
Year level: Years 7 to 10, VCE
Minmum student numbers: Minimum 15 students
Maximum student numbers: Maximum 150 students
Cost: $9 per student + education service fee
Booking information: Bookings 13 11 02
School visit information

For thousands of years, we have looked to the stars in awe and wonder. Their mysteries have inspired curiosity across all cultures and civilisations. This beautiful Planetarium show explores stars and what we can learn from their light. Narrated by multi-award-winning Australian actress, Sigrid Thornton, this show is aligned to the physics and earth and space sciences curriculum for secondary school students.

Students will experience

A fulldome experience in reclining seats
A story told through the eyes of Margaret, as she steps ack in time to relive childhood fears of the dark
Artful depictions of the layers and inner workings of our local star, the Sun
Stunning visualisations of being inside a supernova and drifting through a stellar nursery
Exploration of physics concepts related to light, heat and astronomy
Some of the historical and cultural significance of the stars, sun and constellations
A 10-minute live guided tour of the night sky

Students will learn

That the Sun is a star, and how scientists were able to test this hypothesis historically
That the Sun and constellations have had different meanings across cultures throughout history
That we can use the light from distant stars to understand what elements are present
That the heat inside the Sun transfers through convection currents, and that new elements are formed inside the hot cores of suns

Victorian Curriculum links

Science: Levels 7 and 8

Science as a human endeavour

scientific knowledge, including models and theories, can change because of new evidence
VC2S8H01

Physical sciences

energy exists in different forms, including thermal, chemical, gravitational and elastic, and may be classified as kinetic or potential; energy transfers (conduction, convection and radiation) and transformations occur in simple systems and can be analysed in terms of energy efficiency VC2S8U15

Science: Levels 9 and 10

Science as a human endeavour

scientific knowledge is contestable and is validated and refined over time through expanding scientific methods, replication, publication, peer review and consensus
VC2S10H01

Earth and space sciences

the universe contains features including galaxies, stars, solar systems and black holes; the big bang theory models the origin and evolution of the universe and is supported by evidence
VC2S10U13

Physical sciences

wave and particle models can be used to describe energy transfer (conduction, convection and radiation) through different media; waves (electromagnetic and mechanical) have different properties, features (including amplitude, wavelength, frequency and speed) and applications
VC2S10U14