Space Lates - Our Dark Skies
An evening curated for people interested in astronomy, space missions, and the exciting research happening globally and beyond.
- 31st Jan 2025
- Tickets from £8.00
- Highly Engaging Talks and Workshops
- Planetarium Show Included
- Very Limited Capacity
Our Dark Skies
This month, our Discovery Team will be looking at the wonders of stargazing. Learn more about how light pollution dims our view, and how astronomers 'see the invisible' by capturing light beyond human sight.
We’ve curated a special evening packed with guest speakers, interactive workshops, live demos, planetarium shows and stargazing.
Take a look around our galleries after-hours and don't forget to join Leicester Astronomical Society outside for a live astronomy session (weather permitting).
Guest Talks
Head to our Live Space Stage and Shuttle Suites to hear from our expert guest speakers.
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![Neill Sanders]()
A Beginner’s Guide to Stargazing
- 18:15 and 20:15
- Neill Sanders
- Lead Astronomer – Go Stargazing
Join Neill as he shares his essential tips for exploring the night sky, finding the best time to stargaze, and discovering dark sky sites. He'll also highlight ideal stargazing locations and point out some stargazing events near you.
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![Hayley Space Lates]()
Getting to Know the Moon
- 19:15 and 20:15
- Hayley Smith
- Lead Educator, National Space Academy
Let Hayley guide you through her top tips for observing and photographing the Moon. As an celestial object that everyone can look for, the Moon is an ideal target for beginning astronomers and even the more experienced.
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![Speaker To Be Announced]()
National Space Centre TBC
- 18:15 and 19:15
- TBC
- TBC
Details will be confirmed soon.
Activities
Join our science communication team and Space Lates contributors for engaging hands-on science activities and workshops.
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![Planisphere]()
Diego Rodriguez CC BY-SA 3.0 Make your own Planisphere
- 18:00-21:00 (drop-in)
- National Space Centre
Join our Discovery team to make your own planisphere and find out how you can use it to display the positions of the stars in the night sky at any time and date throughout the year.
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![Crab nebula]()
NASA, ESA, J. Hester and A. Loll (Arizona State University) Seeing the Invisible
- 18:00-21:00 (drop-in)
- National Space Centre
Explore how astronomers take incredible images of galaxies and nebulae in the night sky and let our Discovery team demonstrate how we can capture light we can't see with our eyes.
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![Spacecenterchristmasparty2018 Linaandtom 0021]()
Leicester under Lights
- 18:00-21:00 (drop-in)
- National Space Centre
Get crafty and recreate Leicester's iconic cityscape with our Discovery team to see how the effects of light pollution change our night skies.
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![LAS 1.1 (1)]()
Stargazing
- 18:00 - 21:00 (drop-in)
Meet the Leicester Astronomical Society to find out more about stargazing and to look through their telescopes.
*weather permitting
Limited availability (first come, first served basis): Bring your own telescope along and members of the Leicester Astronomical Society will happily offer telescope setting-up advice.
Shows in the UK's Largest Planetarium
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![Sir Patrick Moore Planetarium]()
®Hufton+Crow Chasing the Moon
- Included in Your Ticket
- Expert-Led Show
- Seasonal Planetarium Pick
Join our Discovery Team in the UK's largest planetarium for an immersive and educational journey through the cosmos. Explore the beauty of the night sky, chase the Moon, and discover dazzling planets along with a treasure-trove of stars.
Pre-book this show when purchasing a Space Lates ticket -
![WOTW1953]()
Paramount Pictures Film Club - War of the Worlds
- Optional Add-On
- Rated PG
- Film Starts at 21:00
- Tickets from £8.00
End the evening with a special fulldome screening of the 1953 Technicolour sci-fi classic, War of the Worlds. In the first of several feature film adaptations of H. G. Wells' novel, Earth is suddenly invaded by Martians, and American scientist Doctor Clayton Forrester searches for any weakness to stop them.
About Space Lates
All talks and activities are aimed at adults and families interested in science.
Children are welcome; however, parents/guardians need to decide if children are happy to attend accessible and engaging 30-minute talks.
This jam-packed evening is designed to allow you to choose and explore your top picks.
It's not expected that you'll be able to catch everything.
You are free to explore our galleries throughout the night.
Please note that the Rocket Tower and Tetrastar Spaceport will not be open.
Hot food can be pre-ordered when purchasing your ticket.
Our café will be open throughout the evening.
Space Lates FAQs
