Time lapse video showing us setting up the dome on campus.
The University of Southampton's astrodome is an inflatable planetarium , this means it is highly portable and can be brought to your school in the back of a van :) (which we rent in advance from Enterprise !)
Southampton's mobile astrodome is one of the South's most advanced mobile planetariums, enabling groups of all ages to learn about astronomy in a fully immersive digital environment.
As of June 2011, We can offer 3 different talks, which cover a wide range of subjects. For information on the detailed content of the shows, see the Shows Page.
We need at least 30 minutes to set up the dome, and 20 minutes to take it down. Teachers please keep this in mind when filling out the booking form word document.
The projector and mirror equipment (shown below) inside the dome is expensive- please see a picture of the spherical mirror and projector set up below.
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Time Lapse showing a typical day of shows from inside the Astrodome.
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For further information on the dome technology used by 'Soton Astrodome' please visit
Discovery Dome Europe where you can find the most up to date information on the astrodome !
FYI Our mirror set up is the Newtownian I model.
Ideally the dome is suited to a schools hall/sports hall and we request that the Teacher in charge of the event checks that the room has a plug socket (to plug in the fan) and that the hall is clear of chairs when we arrive.
Seating can be placed in the dome on request (if the school provides the chairs) however this restricts the amount of students that can fit in to 20 (down from 30).
The student will be sat on the floor in the dome, the dome is not connected to the floor in any way. The school can provide mats if they wish and I have some soft interlocking gym floor mats for us on cold/hard floors.
If there is only 10-15 students in the dome then there is room to lie on the floor and look at the stars above.
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Time lapse of Science and Engineering Day 2014
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We need at least
7 metres by 7 metres of floor space
and at least
3.3 metres of height !!
Please check the ceiling doesnt have any lights or projector set-ups that will damage the dome when inflated.
We need at least
6 metres by 6 metres of floor space
and at least
3.2 metres of height !!
Please check the ceiling doesnt have any lights or projector set-ups that will damage the dome when inflated.
