End The Year With A Big Bang At Stardome

With the end of the year approaching at lightspeed, Stardome has some unmissable events celebrating all things space. In addition to their regular suite of planetarium films, highlights in the run up to Christmas include:

Last Chance to See XYZZY
Final shows: 30 October, and 6, 13, & 29 November.
Don’t miss XYZZY, the stunning immersive planetarium experience by artists Jess Johnson and director Simon Ward. A visual feast of mandalas, alien deities, and hallucinogenic patterns set to 90s-inspired synth music, this is a unique art-meets-technology spectacle.
Sci-Fi Movie Nights
6 November – Mars Attacks
20 November – The Bostrom Scenario

Prepare for a special treat on 20 November with Auckland premiere of The Bostrom Scenario, the highly anticipated feature film debut of Kiwi writer/director Ricky Townsend. This sci-fi/thriller anthology is the product of a six-year creative journey, beginning with the award-winning short film Truth.exe, which premiered at international festivals and won Best Student Film at the 2020 Miami International Sci-Fi Festival. The Bostrom Scenario follows Alice Wonder as she searches for her lost brother, uncovering a tale of supernatural photographers and a cursed documentary film crew.

The film is a thought-provoking puzzle that lives in the universe of masterpieces like Donnie Darko, Primer, and Mulholland Drive.

This screening is followed by a Q&A with filmmakers.

21 – 30 November – The Year in Space 2024: A Stardome Original
2024 has been an epic year in space, with stranded astronauts, dazzling auroras, comets, meteor showers, and eclipses. The Year in Space is Stardome’s own fulldome showcase of the year’s highlights and includes stunning recent images and discoveries from the James Webb Space Telescope, exciting space events of the year, and breathtaking astrophotography from finalists of the NZ Astrophotography Competition. Take a trip through space and witness the beauty of our universe as seen from Aotearoa New Zealand.

Zeiss Telescope – with the nights getting longer, Stardome is delighted to add more opportunities to see deep-space phenomena, accompanied by expert commentary. The 60-minute sessions run on Friday, Saturday and Sunday nights at 9pm. As viewing is weather dependent Stardome encourages people to check out their Instagram and Facebook for up-to-date information on Zeiss availability.

Maximum capacity 10 people, ages 14+ only, bookings essential.

January School Holidays at Stardome!
Stardome’s school holiday offering will run from 6 January – 26 January 2025. Robotics Workshops will run again on 13, 17, 20 and 24 January. This will be the same workshop as last time, Roving the Red Planet.

(NB Stardome’s holiday closure will be shorter than previous years. Stardome will be closed from 5pm 24 December 2024, and reopen 9.30am 3 January 2025.)

And coming soon are all-new planetarium films and a fresh public programme, so there’s something for every space cadet!

The Stardome team—including astronomers, educators, and space enthusiasts—is available for interviews on these space events and the public programme.

For more information visit: www.stardome.org.nz

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