Superdome will reveal the secrets of the Universe to hundreds more people

Hundreds more schoolchildren and students will be able to marvel at the wonders of the Universe with the launch of the University of Southampton’s new mobile planetarium.

The new six-metre Soton Astrodome is set to accommodate up to 2,000 more people a year during its roadshow of school visits and public events.

Staff and students from Physics and Astronomy have been taking the existing dome into about 35 schools a year, putting on shows at the University, and attending events around the country such as the Big Bang Fair, in Birmingham; but the dome – the flagship of the University’s astronomy outreach programme – had been starting to show signs of wear and tear and needed to be replaced.

Winning an Education Enhancement Fund (EEF) grant of nearly £30,000 has enabled the team to purchase a bigger, better dome that can fit more people inside to watch its shows and learn about the visible Universe and what astronomers are doing to understand it.

Outreach Leader in Astronomy Dr Sadie Jones said: “Every year thousands of people get the opportunity to experience one of our planetarium shows. It is wonderful to be able to generate an interest in astronomy particularly in young people and this new bigger dome will allow us to inspire even more people by helping them investigate the night sky and ponder the big questions of the Universe.”

The new dome was launched by the University’s Vice-Chancellor Professor Don Nutbeam at a special ceremony.

He said: “This outreach programme is a great credit to the University. It is because of this type of outreach work that we have seen something of a renaissance in Physics and Astronomy at this University over the past decade. It is a great effort on the part of the staff and students to generate the interest of the next generation in astronomy.

“It is outreach activities like this that get young people really engaged and excited about astronomy and it is fantastic that this will continue with the new astrodome.”

Staff, students and their families were invited to the reception where they got the chance to enjoy a show in the new astrodome. During the ceremony Sadie paid tribute to the PhD and undergraduate students who help her take the astrodome to schools and public events.

She said: “I couldn’t do this work without such a great team of enthusiastic and knowledgeable students to support me.”

Four of these students were specifically recognised for their dedication and hard work. They were:

• Juan Hernandez - outstanding postgraduate award
• Cait Percy - outstanding undergraduate award
• Chris Frohmaier - dome managing on campus award
• Robert Firth - dome managing at schools award

The EEF was established by the University’s Executive Group to support innovative and creative projects that will add value to the student experience and help to make Southampton distinctive.