A starry sky in the basement

The starry sky is something that is not at all obvious to today's urban children. Many have never marveled at the multitude of stars, tried to distinguish the different constellations, followed the course of the planets or experienced the Milky Way's path across the sky. Astronomy and space physics are areas that fascinate most children and young people, and are a good gateway to science and technology in general. We need more scientists and engineers in our companies, but we also need more general education in science and technology for everyone for a sustainable development of society. Vetenskapens Hus runs activities for pupils and teachers in primary and secondary schools. Every year we meet about 80,000 teachers and students in various hands-on activities in science, technology and mathematics with the aim of increasing interest and knowledge in these areas. We want to invite children, young people, teachers, student teachers and to some extent also interested members of the public to get acquainted with the starry sky in a more tangible way in a planetarium. We estimate that about 5000 visitors per year will be able to take part in our activities in a planetarium. Today, there is no opportunity for children and young people to visit a planetarium in Stockholm to get acquainted with the starry sky and be fascinated by the universe we can see with the naked eye. By bringing a planetarium to Vetenskapens Hus, we want to contribute to an increased fascination, interest and knowledge of astronomy and natural science in general.