Local families discover the stars

Physics and Astronomy hosted a special ‘Stargazing’ event for all the family ahead of the solar eclipse last week.

On Thursday 19 March from 5 to 9pm, over 200 members of the public watched the stars from the comfort of the two Soton Astrodomes – the University’s inflatable mobile planetariums. There were also tours to view the stars and planets through the University’s roof telescopes.

As well as the Astrodome’s Planetarium shows during the evening there were astrophotography talks and astronomy lectures on black holes, the solar system and the life of stars.

There were a number of other free activities throughout the evening including hands-on activities from the University’s Astronomy Society, an ‘Ask the Astronomer’ stand and free eclipse glasses were given away.

Dr Sadie Jones, Outreach Leader in Astronomy at the University of Southampton, said: “It was great to see the Physics and Astronomy department buzzing with conversations between members of the public and our academics about astronomy and stargazing.”