Try to time your visit to Space Place later in the evening. It’s open until 11pm on Tuesdays, Fridays, and Saturdays. This gives visitors the chance to view the southern skies through the 150-year-old Thomas Cooke telescope. On a clear night, you might experience the thrill of seeing the moons around Jupiter or rings around Saturn through this telescope. Though they don’t appear year-round there’s always something fascinating to discover.
In the adjacent galleries, you can take in the sheer scale of the universe and its origins in the Big Bang 13.7 billion years ago. Feel the rumble of a rocket launch, find out about when humans landed on the moon, and even touch a moon rock.
You can also discover the Māori story of creation, the significance of Matariki, and the role of the star cluster for the Māori New Year. For children, there’s a junior astronaut zone with an interactive space station exhibition.