Discover the stars at the University of Southampton

To coincide with BBC Two's Stargazing LIVE event, the University of Southampton is hosting a special astronomical event for all the family in the New Year.

On Tuesday 8 January from 5.30 to 9pm, members of the public are invited to see the stars from either from the comfort of the Soton Astrodome - the University’s inflatable mobile planetarium. The Astrodome will be running Planetarium shows during the evening or in the form of roof observatory tours, plus there will also be an Astrophotography talk. These free events require tickets, which can be booked online There are lots of other free activities throughout the evening that do not require tickets. These include hands-on activities from the Astronautics Research Group, who will demonstrate some of the University's research and teaching in spacecraft systems engineering. They’ll have interactive computer games, spacecraft test models, space activity packs and even examples of the damage space debris can do to household objects!

Other activities include ‘Ask the Astronomer’ and ‘Astronomy Know How’ stands, plus lectures on ‘Black holes’ and ‘Rocks from Space and the Death of the Dinosaurs’ from Astronomy Professors and Word Wide Telescope tutorials. There will also be inflatable planets and colouring-in activities for young children, plus the Southampton Astronomical Society (SAS) will also be in the foyer with their telescopes.

Dr Sadie Jones, Outreach Leader in Astronomer at the University of Southampton, says: “This free event provides a great opportunity to investigate our night skies further and encourage more children, families and individuals to get out, about and explore the night sky.”