INTECH Planetarium – Now Open!

During your visit to INTECH, come and experience the UK’s largest capacity planetarium. Our enormous tilted dome screen completely surrounds you, placing you right in the action. Relax back into your reclined seat and fly through the solar system, visit a black hole, or find out what you can see in the sky tonight. Both pre-recorded and live shows will be shown.

We would like to thank SEEDA for funding the installation of this world-class facility.

Digital technology:

Planetarium technology has advanced beyond recognition in recent years. We can show not only the stars, but full-screen video using our state-of-the-art digital projection system. Our cinema-grade surround sound system adds to the feeling of total immersion (especially when the low rumbles shake the floor!) There is simply nothing like it.

INTECH’s system, designed and installed by Global Immersion, relies on a bank of computers running six different projectors. These projectors have been highly calibrated and blended to produce a seamless high-contrast image across the entire dome.

In addition to playing pre-rendered shows, UniView^TM software by SCISS allows real-time flight around a universe based on actual scientific data. This allows a seamless zoom from high-resolution Earth images to the entire observed universe. The system can even be ‘flown’ from a wireless Xbox controller!

Shows:

We are pleased to announce the first three shows to be presented in the Planetarium:

Black Holes: Beyond Infinity (film show, 25 min)

·     Cross the cosmic threshold into the bizarre realm of a black hole. Stunning graphics take you to the beginning of the Universe and let you watch colliding galaxies before showing you what it might be like to actually fall into a black hole. Narrated by Liam Neeson.

Cosmic Journey III (film show, 25 min)

·     Go on a tour of the solar system, discovering icy worlds, speeding comets and eerie moons. Explore the places where alien life might be lurking close to Earth, and find out why there really is no place like home.

Neighbourhood Earth (live show, 30min + Q&A)

·     Join our presenter to explore the amazing sights visible from Earth. Find out what you can see in the sky tonight, then go on a journey away from home to the far reaches of the Universe. Interactive show with a chance to ask questions at the end.

Schedule:

Check out the planetarium calendar for the next week's detailed schedule.

School days 

·     Occasionally, there will be a school day with no shows due to special events or corporate booking of the planetarium. See calendar for known dates. 

·     Public show(s) to be run at 2pm (and at 11:30am if no school shows or corporate bookings)

Weekends/holidays:      

·     Shows at 11:30am and 2:30pm every day

·     On 29th & 30th March only, the second show will be 2:00pm instead of 2:30pm

·     Other showings added at busy times (see calendar) and if required on the day

Hampshire school holidays 2008: 7-18 April, 5 May, 26-30 May, 24 July - 2nd Sept, 27-31 Oct, 22 Dec - 2 Jan 2009.

Prices & booking:

Planetarium tickets are in addition to normal entry tickets. For the shows described above, tickets are £2 per person (reduced rates for schools).

Children under 3yrs have free entry but may need to sit on laps as seats are limited. Children under 14yrs will need to be accompanied by an adult.

Please note that shows are not recommended for children under the age of 5 due to darkness and powerful images/sounds. If bringing young children into the planetarium, please show consideration for other audience members and be prepared to leave if the child becomes distressed or disruptive.

If you wish to advance book for a school or other registered group, please contact Jane King on 01962 891900. For further details, see the group visit and schools pages.

Please note that we do not take individual advance bookings for the planetarium. When the venue is busy enough that the planetarium sells out, car parking would also be an issue and we have no way of ensuring parking spaces for those with booked tickets.

The future:

We are busy planning more events to cater for different audiences in the planetarium.

Although initially focusing on space themes, we will be extending our program to other subjects in the future. The INTECH Planetarium is a fantastic resource for all of Hampshire and, as an immersive environment, can be used for music, theatre and many other events. It will also continue to be used as an auditorium for science shows and corporate events, as the seats can be adjusted to sit upright.

If you are interested in being involved with the planetarium, for instance by volunteering to help at events or being a guest speaker, please contact Jenny Shipway.