National science week at Scienceworks

Planetarium Nights at Scienceworks. (Supplied)

Children and adults can discover and understand details about the universe through the National Science Week exhibition at Scienceworks.

The programs will run from Saturday, August 10, to Sunday, August 18.

This year’s theme, Species Survival – More Than Just Sustainability, invites visitors to delve deeper into the critical issues facing Earth’s biodiversity and explore innovative solutions for the survival and prosperity of diverse species in a rapidly changing world. 

Museums Victoria chief executive and director Lynley Crosswell said the program would spark discussions on life’s big questions.

In the Journey Beyond: Australia’s first astronaut, Katherine Bennell-Pegg, will kick off the week with an exclusive interview.

In From Melbourne to Mars: The Hunt for Life in Space, deputy program scientist on NASA’s perseverance mission to Mars Dr Adrian Brown will join the Melbourne Planetarium live from NASA headquarters in Washington DC for a conversation with Museums Victoria’s senior curator of astronomy, Dr Tanya Hill.  

On Planetarium Nights, the Melbourne Planetarium reawakens after hours for adults with a stellar line-up of full-dome film screenings.

In the Lightning Theatre, a 30-minute live science show explores the science of glow and luminosity and culminates in a spectacular finale with a giant Tesla coil producing lightning using over two million volts of electricity. 

In The Martian Garden, visitors can meet researchers from Latrobe University and experiment with vertical farm robots and future foods – like Martian spinach cheese – to measure psychological responses to space food.

In the Energy is a Superpower, visitors can join a half-day STEM workshop to explore the many forms of energy. 

Details: museumsvictoria.com.au/scienceworks/whats-on/.