South Downs Planetarium

25/07/2024

Preparations are well under way in anticipation of our exciting SPACE FAMILY FUN DAYS this weekend. We look forward to welcoming you all! Booking is advised due to demand.

23/07/2024

Have you visited our newly installed Moon display yet? Book now to see this magnificent suspended feature over our SPACE FUN DAYS this weekend (Friday-Sunday).

16/07/2024

https://www.southdowns.org.uk

19/06/2024

We would like to extend a heartfelt THANK YOU to all our Volunteers and supporters. To be recognised with the Kings’s Award is an honour and today has been a wonderful celebration of the hard work, commitment and passion you all bring. Very well deserved!

11/05/2024

Did you spot the from where you live?

10/05/2024

23/02/2024

has touched down near the South Pole of the Moon! US firm Intuitive Machines has made history by becoming the first private company to successfully land a spacecraft on the Moon.

14/11/2023

We are very proud to announce that the volunteers at are to be honoured with the prestigious King’s Award for Voluntary Service.

The is the highest award a voluntary group can receive in the UK and is the equivalent of an MBE.

We would like to extend our heartfelt Thanks to all our supporters and look forward to sharing further details with you in due course.

18/10/2023

SCAM ALERT! We are aware of a page claiming to be the South Downs Planetarium, advertising the sale of designer watches. DO NOT pay any money to this scheme. IT IS A SCAM and has nothing to do with our organisation.

We do not sell anything using Facebook and will never ask you for money.

We have reported this scam to Facebook and to the Police.

23/08/2023

India’s Vikram lander from Chandrayaan-3 has successfully landed, making it the first ever landing on the lunar South Pole region!

12/08/2023

The Perseid meteor shower will hit its peak of visibility this weekend. The meteors can range from as small as a grain of sand or as big as a pea and each produces a spectacular blaze of light across our night sky.

01/08/2023

Our August shows are selling fast, please be sure to book your tickets well in advance to avoid disappointment. These can be purchased via www.southdowns.org.uk 🪐

South Downs Planetarium Chichester. Public shows events and planetarium for schools. Experience the magic of the night sky in comfort together with expert commentary by a professional astronomer. Our full dome shows feature stunning immersive video and breathtaking images.

16/06/2023

https://metro.co.uk/2023/06/16/how-to-see-the-planetary-parade-on-saturday-june-17-18961659/

But you'll need to set your alarm.

26/04/2023

This incredible image of the M82 Cigar Galaxy was taken at the start of the month by the Planetarium's very own lecturer, Meryl.
Fun Fact: Around the M82’s center, stars are being born 10x faster than they are inside our own Milky Way.

20/04/2023

Captured by our very own Dr. Mason, we are delighted to share this image with all our supporters.
This spectacular photograph was taken during the total eclipse from the Exmouth Peninsula in Western Australia.

28/02/2023

Mars-Saturn, Jupiter-Venus Conjunctions Happening This Month! Skywatchers, you have the opportunity to see not just one, but two planetary conjunctions during the month of April 2022! A conjunction is a celestial event in which two planets, a planet and the Moon, or a planet and a star appear close....

09/02/2023

We were delighted to attend the Annual Award Ceremony at the Council House in Chichester this week where The South Downs Planetarium received the Community Award for Outstanding Contribution.

We would like to thank all our visitors for making this possible. A very special thanks must also go to the huge contribution of skill and knowledge by Dr John Mason (who received his very own civic award) and our entire Volunteer Team.

Thank You!

10/01/2023

UK space launch: Historic Cornwall rocket launch ends in failure

The first ever satellite mission launched from UK soil has a technical problem on its climb to space.

10/01/2023

29/12/2022

Keep your eyes peeled! 👀 All solar system's planets visible in night sky

Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter and Saturn will be visible with the naked eye from many areas.

19/10/2022

This breathtaking NEW image of the Pillars of Creation has just been released by NASA, courtesy of the James Webb space telescope!

09/09/2022

The late Queen Elizabeth II was a longstanding supporter of science, technology, engineering and endeavour. We join the nation in mourning her loss and look back at her contribution to space exploration. https://www.royal.uk/royal-family-and-space

01/08/2022

What an amazing Space Family Fun weekend we've had! Thank you to all of those who were able to join us, it was a pleasure to see you! Book now for our next public show tomorrow; Summertime Stars, Moons and Planets.

https://www.southdowns.org.uk/summerNightsShootingStars1497745.html

30/07/2022

What a fantastic day!!! If you weren't able to join us for our Space Family Fun Day, we're doing it all again tomorrow!
https://www.southdowns.org.uk

12/07/2022

https://www.instagram.com/tv/Cf7GTB9ldKg/?igshid=MDJmNzVkMjY=

12/07/2022

Congratulations to all of you who will be joining us tonight for our exclusive shows. These events are now SOLD OUT but bookings can be made for future shows.

https://www.southdowns.org.uk/events.html

James Webb telescope takes super sharp view of early cosmos https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-62122859

The new $10bn space telescope delivers its first full-colour image of the distant Universe.

09/07/2022

NASA will release the James Webb Space Telescope’s first full-color images on Tuesday 12th July 2022 and we are on the exclusive list of organisations who will receive them first. Join us on the day and be the first to

Tickets are FREE (donations welcome) https://www.southdowns.org.uk/events.html

06/07/2022

We are delighted and honoured to announce that the South Downs Planetarium & Science Centre has been chosen to take part in the ESA/Webb community events that will be celebrating the release of the very first images and data from the James Webb Space Telescope – the largest, most sophisticated space telescope ever built and launched.

Tickets are FREE and can be booked via our website (Donations are welcome) https://www.southdowns.org.uk/jamesWebbFirstPictures1441429.html

South Downs Planetarium Chichester. From hot little Mercury, closest planet to the Sun, past cloud-covered Venus, beautiful blue Earth strong and red Mars we head for the outer planets.

22/04/2022

"Oh my God! Look at that picture over there! Here's the Earth coming up. Wow is that pretty!" Soon after that pronouncement, one of the most famous images ever taken was snapped from the orbit of the Moon. Now known as “Earthrise”, the iconic image shows the Earth rising above the limb of the Moon, as taken by the crew of Apollo 8