Join us this National Science Week to Decode the Universe! Kick off the evening with roaming, hands‑on science fun (paper circuits, sun prints, DIY star wheels, UV experiments and more, great for curious kids) before an energising panel conversation that unpacks the cosmos’ hidden languages.

Join us at the Sky Lounge for hands-on outreach fun before the panel session. Children are welcome to dress up as their favourite scientist.

You can expect to find the following drop-in stations (subject to minor change):

• Paper Circuits: Explore how a complete electrical circuit carries energy and produces light.
• Sun Prints (Cyanotypes): Reveal how sunlight’s invisible energy triggers chemical changes to create an image.
• DIY Planispheres: Learn how Earth’s rotation and date/time determine which constellations are visible.
• Build‑a‑Sextant: Discover how measuring angles to celestial objects enables navigation and positioning.
• UV‑Detecting Beads: See how ultraviolet radiation, normally invisible, can be detected and compared through simple tests.

Here from our panel of experts on AI-hunted cosmic flashes and gravitational wave chirps to radio maps of the Milky Way and the cultural star knowledge that has guided people for tens of thousands of years, our panellists will decode how we read the sky.

MC: Professor Virginia Kilborn

Panellists

• Dr Sara Webb
• Dr Kirsten Banks
• Dr Rebecca Allen
• Sparrow Roch
• Bailee Wolfe