Ticket to the Universe

A tour through the Universe

The session makes full use of the Planetarium’s distinctive technology to present scientific data from astronomical organisations around the world. The result is a journey through the most complete and accurate 3D atlas of the universe ever made.

These datasets, which have been compiled by the American Museum of Natural History's Hayden Planetarium with support from NASA, clearly show the different scales and structures of the Universe, such as:

• the satellites surrounding our Earth, including the GPS system
• the Solar System and a better understanding of Pluto and the other dwarf planets
• the distances between our Sun and neighbouring stars
• the structure of the Milky Way galaxy
• the types and distribution of galaxies throughout the universe
• and the far-away echo of the Big Bang.

As well as travelling to the outer edge of the universe and back, the presentation also includes a look at the night sky. Discover which planets, stars and constellations are easily seen from a Melbourne backyard and how our view of the sky changes, night by night.

Curriculum links

• Science as a Human Endeavour
• Earth and Space Sciences