New immersive experience will help University astronomers inspire next generation of scientists
A state-of-the-art planetarium is set to transform how pupils across the East of England learn about space and the universe – and how Cambridge University supports teaching in schools.
Believed to be the first free planetarium in the region, and one of only a handful of free planetariums in the whole of the UK, the University’s Institute of Astronomy says the new digital resource – which they have just taken delivery of – will revolutionise how they inspire the next generation of scientists.
Powered by the most up-to-date technology available, the planetarium creates an entirely immersive experience, with fully rendered 3D environments in space. It is big enough to take a class of 30 pupils on a journey tens of millions of light years from Earth, but portable enough so that the University’s AstroEast schools outreach team can take the experience to them.
Dr Matt Bothwell, Public Astronomer at the University of Cambridge, said: “The planetarium will transform our work in schools – it’s an entirely different way of engaging with the universe. I’ve been doing this job for about 10 years, and up until now it hasn’t changed all that much in terms of how we try to capture kids’ imaginations.
“The planetarium is completely immersive, and you get a feel for space in a way that you just don’t get from listening to a talk, or even Googling it and seeing images on a computer screen. We can put pupils in the middle of space, in orbit around the Moon or a planet, or on a trip to neighbouring galaxies. Basically, we now have the universe in a box.”
AstroEast already provides curriculum-based workshops and activities at schools across the East of England, using astronomy to inspire Key Stage 3 (year 7-9) pupils and improve numeracy and literacy. But Dr Hannah Strathern, Outreach Facilitator at the Institute of Astronomy, says being able to offer schools the planetarium experience is a game changer.
She said: “It will have such a huge impact on how we approach our outreach and work with schools, because we can take this amazing experience to them – and for free. And I’m sure it will be an experience that many children never forget, even more than just having an astronomer come in and talk to them – no matter how interesting the talk is! The planetarium is awe-inspiring, as soon as you go into it you feel this ‘whoosh’ as you’re transported into space.”
The University’s new planetarium was made possible following a generous philanthropic gift from Dr May Chiao, a former Research Fellow at the Cavendish Laboratory, and Darwin College. It is bespoke, and because of its specialist design needed to be custom-made. Dr Bothwell said: “It’s something we’ve wanted for years. So many astronomers – and scientists more broadly – say that their first experience of science was the thing that made them fall in love with the subject, and quite often that is a planetarium. It makes science material, more visceral and real.
“Even as an astronomer, this is something entirely different. I’ve obviously spent a lot of time looking at the Moon through a telescope, but being about to travel to the Moon in 3D and fly over its mountains and valleys – rendered in extraordinary detail using images captured by NASA’s Lunar Orbiter programme – really is on another level.”
As well as its focus on school outreach, The Institute of Astronomy’s public engagement work includes public lectures and regular free stargazing evenings, which an estimated 100,000 members of the community have taken part in since they were launched in the 1990s.
To find out more about arranging a school visit, contact outreach@ast.cam.ac.uk
Published: 7th April, 2026
Words: Stephen Bevan
Images: Dr Hannah Strathern
The text in this work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.