SCIENCE CENTRES AND PLANETARIA GET TOGETHER ACROSS THE COUNTRY

In September, science centres and Planetaria across the UK got together to discuss successes, challenges and next steps at the Association of Science and Discovery Centres (ASDC) conference, the British Association of Planetaria (BAP) conference and the Digistar Users Group (DUG) conference. September was a big month for the science centre sector!

Our Interim CEO Anastasia, Science Learning and Engagement Director Conor and Head of Learning and Engagement Chris travelled down to Bradford, UK City of Culture, to the annual conference of the Association for Science and Discovery Centres.

This event brings together delegates from the UK’s major science engagement organisations to play a strategic role in the nation’s engagement with science. Working in collaboration with people from these key organisations, the conference programme of talks, workshops, networking sessions and discussions explored what’s on the horizon for the sector right now, over the next 5 years and longer term over 25 years.

Thank you so much to our colleagues and peers across the sector for creating, coordinating and delivering such a vibrant and varied programme. We’re already looking forward to a trip to Techniquest in Cardiff next year!

Our Planetarium Manager Alastair and Planetarium Officer Toni travelled down to Newcastle’s Centre for Life for the 2025 British Association of Planetaria conference. A chance for anyone in the UK Planetarium community to meet up, share best practice and provide help and support. This year the team were treated to some amazing sights at the Life Science Centre:

“We had the opportunity to watch their latest film ‘Life’, which was looking and sounding amazing. Other highlights include work being done to help us sonify real data for use in shows and meeting an alien puppet who needed a new home. It’s wonderful to see how domes around the UK are being used, everything from opera to Alzheimer’s outreach. It’s a pleasure to be part of this group.” – Alastair, Planetarium Manager.

Alastair also attended the Digistar Users Group conference this year – an exciting opportunity for Dynamic Earth as it’s relatively close to home! In the past, this international conference has taken place all over the world; from Hamburg to Salt Lake City. Reflecting on the experience, Alastair says:

“Hosted at the amazing Thinktank in Birmingham, this is the first time [Digistar Users Group] has been held in the UK. Digistar is name of the planetarium software that our team use every day to create our live shows. This was a week-long chance for us to see new features, share amazing dome sequences and learn a few more tips and tricks to help us make our planetarium shows as good as they can possibly be!”