March Program

• Ticket to the Universe (45 min)

  

  Take a journey off planet Earth and beyond the stars.

  Under the 16m dome of the Melbourne Planetarium, you will enjoy a guided tour of our vast and incredible Universe in this entirely presenter-led show. Using the Planetarium’s distinctive technology and scientific data from astronomical organisations around the world, you will travel 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.
  
  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.

• Impossible Space (46 min)

  Impossible Space is an odyssey into the cosmos. A symphonic journey through real and artificial visual worlds, inspired by the spirit of science and discovery. This show interprets ‘outer space’ as more than just the night sky universe. Everything is space: it also unfolds in our everyday lives, within our brains, in a computer algorithm or in the unimaginably small building blocks of reality itself. These themes are artistically reimagined and adapted to create a unique audiovisual experience.

  The original music is closely coupled to the visuals and fuses epic orchestral film score with electronic synth-driven minimalism, ranging from moving melodic motives to transforming beats and vast, expansive soundscapes. The imagery ranges from fractal-mathematical nebulae to envisioned planets, from strangely (un)familiar AI-generated dimensions to nature on earth, and from abstract depictions of reality back to human shapes: A vortex of color, light, and sound inviting the audience on a fascinating ride through a profoundly impossible space.

April Program*

*No shows on Friday 18 April due to Good Friday closure.

• The Dark Matter Mystery (38 min) + WITST

  What keeps Galaxies together? What are the building blocks of the Universe? What makes the Universe look the way it looks today? Researchers all around the world try to answer these questions. We know today that approximately a quarter of the Universe is filled with a mysterious glue: Dark Matter. We know that it is out there. But we have no idea what it is made out of.
  
  This planetarium show takes you on the biggest quest of contemporary astrophysics. You will see why we know that Dark Matter exists, and how this search is one of the most challenging and exciting searches science has to offer. Join the scientists on their hunt for Dark Matter with experiments in space and deep underground. Will they be able to solve the Dark Matter Mystery?

  Plus What’s in the Sky Tonight (WITST), a presenter-led tour through the night sky.

• Dimensions: Once Upon Our Reality (50 min)

  What is “reality”? Is it just the interaction of time, space, particles and forces? A hallucination created by billions of neurons in our body? A mathematical machine? Are there other realities, universes or dimensions?

  “Dimensions” is entertainment made and inspired by science and discovery. A rollercoaster ride of visuals and music that takes audiences on a fascinating journey. The show explores the concept of an educational arts and music show, transporting audiences to awe inspiring worlds where they find the time and space to think and feel about the big questions of our time.

  What sticks is a strong feeling that there may be unexplored realms and worlds in us, and around us, which influence us even more strongly then what we already know and understand.

Accessibility

Please view our accessibility page for general information. Contact our team on 13 11 02 or email us at [email protected] to discuss how we can support your visit.

A social story for this experience can be found on our Autism Friendly Museum webpage.