The view is out of this world! Using a portable planetarium dome to widen science interest and engagement in schools

Using the example of the Armagh Observatory and Planetarium’s outreach programme, this presentation will focus on the benefits of portable planetarium visits to schools for widening the reach of science engagement through the medium of planetary science, on the benefits of bringing the scientist to the students in order to make both science and the scientists more approachable, and on the importance of encouraging a scientific way of viewing the world: with wonder, curiosity, and a critical eye. It will, further, focus on how grants from national scientific funding agencies can vastly improve that reach, with case studies of such grants having been recently awarded to the Armagh Observatory and Planetarium by the Science Foundation Ireland and by the UK Space Agency.

A planetarium is a great tool for science communication in general, and planetary science education in particular. While the basic use of the technology is to create an illusion of a starry night sky – including, hopefully, the visible planets – the video revolution started at the Armagh Planetarium back in the 1970s has meant the audiences can be not only immersed by night sky views, but sent on a journey through space, with Solar System objects as the closest and most compelling destinations.

Since its opening in 1968, the planetarium dome in Armagh, part of the Armagh Observatory and Planetarium (AOP), has remained the only built planetarium on the island of Ireland. But not everyone – and, indeed, not every school – on the island is able to organise a visit to Armagh to learn about space topics in a rich and immersive environment, and only a few portable planetaria serve the needs of a large and highly scattered community. In addition to the large geographical spread of the population, both Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland have a large number of small rural schools, which often have even more limited resources for organising such visits.

With improved access to science topics for underserved communities in mind, AOP has in recent years re-launched our own portable planetarium programme with improved hardware and software, reasonable pricing, and a dedicated, permanent staff member – a space scientist.

AOP is a unique organisation where an astronomy research centre – Armagh Observatory, with a continuous record of research from its foundation in 1790 to the present day – is directly connected to a planetarium, with its public-facing outreach facility and team, making opportunities not only for staff crossovers, but for directly bridging the gap between academia and the public understanding and perception of space science. New discoveries and ideas can quickly be interpreted by the astronomers and the science communicators and delivered to the visitors.

All of these advantages can also be brought to a school when a visit with the portable planetarium dome is organised. The portable planetarium has further benefit of, firstly, being able to operate at the school itself, and, secondly, allowing smaller numbers in the dome at once, both of which result in a more personal experience; literally bringing both science and scientists closer to the students. But the necessary cost of such visits – even though aimed to be reasonably priced per person compared to the cost of a school visit to Armagh – are still a deterrent for schools in the most disadvantaged or remote areas. Thus, AOP has turned to funding programmes to bridge that gap and improve access to such schools.

In 2024, we were successfully awarded two grants. The first was by the Science Foundation Ireland (now Research Ireland), aimed at reaching small schools in the Irish counties bordering Northern Ireland. These are not only somewhat more reachable by AOP, but also often under-served by science organisations based in distant Dublin. The second was by the UK Space Agency, aiming to deliver a similar programme of school visits across Northern Ireland itself. The successful outcomes of both of these grants will be presented.

A case will also be made that, much like astronomy is often a gateway towards science in general for students (and the public at large), so is planetary science more approachable than most other space topics, because the objects of interest are literally closer to us. Not only can anyone with an interest sometimes observe planets, comets, etc. in the night sky, humanity is able to send missions to these varied objects, which always engage the public imagination. Furthermore, the opportunity of virtually travelling to space can be used to stop, look back, and consider the Earth as a planet, both by itself – its climate, the human impacts, etc. – and in the context of the wider Solar System. Direct, live, in-person engagement with the students – in contrast to often passive consuming of information on the Internet – can also be encouraged by both the environment of the portable planetarium and the scientist present there, which in turn encourages curiosity and critical thinking; both valuable tools in the modern world.