#55 - No Rocket Required: Five UK Space Days Out This Summer
Go with or without your kids!
#1 - National Space Centre, Leicester
Home to the UK’s largest full dome planetarium, over 150 interactive experiences, and the iconic Rocket Tower housing Blue Streak and Thor Able rockets, a real Moon rock, and the Apollo Lunar Lander.
I highly recommend the planetarium show, One Step Beyond: Our Journey to Mars — it made me feel very emotional during the ‘7 minutes of terror’! You can then follow that up with a ride on the Tetrastar Spaceport.
This summer there’s a brand new exhibit on the outer Solar System, and an Online Space Club for kids aged 7-11, if you’re looking for activities to do at home.
Entry: Adults - £19.72, Children 5-15 - £17.93, Under 5’s - free (concessions available, convert your day ticket to an annual pass for free).
#2 - Science Museum, London
The Space gallery includes Helen Sharman’s spacesuit, a 3.5-billion-year-old piece of the Moon from the Apollo 15 mission, and a six-metre engineering model of BepiColombo.
They also run regular Astronights, which happen after hours where you can sleep over in one of the galleries. Sensory nights for children with SEND, which are more relaxed, are also held regularly.
AND until 13 September, they’ve partnered with Star Trek on an exhibit to celebrate 60 years of boldly going where no person has gone before (that’s my excuse to go back this summer!)
Entry: Free (although donations are welcome!)
Bonus: Just around the corner in South Kensington is the Ampersand Hotel, which offers a science themed afternoon tea. Tuck into Moon cakes and galactic macaroons. Kids, vegetarian and vegan menu options available.
#3 - Jodrell Bank, Cheshire
Tucked away in fields in Cheshire, Jodrell Bank is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and home to the Lovell Telescope, the UK’s largest radio telescope. The new First Light Pavilion tells the story of Jodrell Bank from its post-war origins through the Space Race and Cold War to today’s discoveries.
You can listen to sounds from deep space, see live signals from the telescope, and catch planetarium shows.
Entry: Adults - £15, child - £10.50, all tickets are annual tickets (concessions available).
Public Service Announcement: Help Jodrell Bank! It faces losing all its core annual funding of £2.8 million. Unless this decision is reversed or new funding is secured, ALL scientific work will end on 1 April 2028, and this historic site could close forever. Please sign the petition to urge the government to review this decision.
#4 - Royal Observatory Greenwich
The astronomy team has temporarily relocated to the National Maritime Museum with Astronomers Take Over, a hands-on planetarium experience. Meet real astronomers, try to land a Mars rover, and step inside a galaxy box to see how amazing our universe is.
At the Observatory itself you can see Luke Jerram’s mirror moon, touching craters, valleys, mountains and lava fields. During weekends you can get hands-on with a telescope or try your hand at using a sextant.
Entry: Adults - £16, Children 5-15 - £14, Under 4’s - free (concessions available).
#5 - Dark Sky Reserves
For raw stargazing, the UK has several International Dark Sky Reserves, including Northumberland, Brecon Beacons (Bannau Brycheiniog), Exmoor, and the South Downs.
There’s also the OM Dark Sky Park and Observatory near Cookstown in Northern Ireland, with holographic installations, VR headsets, and audio-visual shows.
PS. On 12 August there will be a partial solar eclipse, where around 90-96% of the sun will be covered by the Moon in the UK (in Greenland, it’s a total eclipse, the first one since 1999!). First contact starts at 6.08pm in Edinburgh, and 6.17pm in London, with the eclipse maximum expected around one hour later. Remember to never look at the sun directly with your eyes, always use eclipse sunglasses or a solar telescope.
I took my son to the science themed afternoon tea at Xmas and he loved it!