Morning Stars @ Royal Observatory, Greenwich

Morning Stars
Relaxed planetarium shows for those who prefer a calmer environment, such as people with ASD

Ticketed
Essential Information
Type Planetarium shows
Location
Royal Observatory
Date and Times Monday 12 & Friday 16 February 2024 | 10.15-11.00am
Prices £10 Adult | £5 Child | Free Companion tickets
10% off for members. Not a member? Join now

Book now Member tickets
Our Morning Stars planetarium shows are designed for anyone who would benefit from a calmer and more relaxed environment, in particular those with autism spectrum disorder (ASD).

These shows are presented live by a Royal Observatory astronomer with several adaptations from our normal planetarium sessions, including:

Room lighting is left at a higher level, bright enough that you can walk around safely, and leave and re-enter the show if you wish.
Narration is much slower and calmer.
The presenter will describe everything before it happens, giving plenty of time for you to prepare for any changes in light levels, imagery or sounds.
A small number of ear defenders will be available to borrow for the duration of the show. You will be able to take a pair after you enter the planetarium.
Fewer tickets are available so there is more space to spread out from other visitors.
The show runs at the beginning of the day, so fewer visitors will be around the site in general.

To help you prepare for your Morning Stars show, we have a visual guide to visiting the planetarium available to download.

Download Morning Stars Visual Story – Oct 2023.pdf
pdf, 2.6 MB

Free entry to the Historic Royal Observatory Site is included with this show. Please note that this site will also be open to general entry, so may be overwhelming for some.

There are different variations of this show, to suit those with different levels of astronomy knowledge:

Variation Dates
Beginners 12th February, 1st April, 8th April, 31st May, 10th August, 28th October
Advanced 16th February, 5th April, 12th April, 27th May, 24th August, 2nd November
Beginners show
10.15-11.00am | Royal Observatory Greenwich

This version of the show is more suitable for younger children or anyone who has very little knowledge of astronomy.

It will feature:

The night sky in general
Constellations
The Moon
Mars
Saturn
Deep space images
Advanced show
10.15-11.00am | Royal Observatory Greenwich

This version of the show is more suitable for older children, adults or anyone who would benefit from a more in-depth look into the subject.

It will feature:

The night sky in general
Constellations
Star formation
How stars end
The Moon
The planets with a close look at at least one
Galaxies (if time allows)
Under-5s will not be admitted – the beginners show is suitable for younger children.

How to book
Planetarium shows are available to book online and by phone. Our shows are very popular, so to prevent any disappointment, we recommend booking your tickets in advance.

To book your tickets, please click here or contact the Bookings team on 0208 312 6608. The office is open Monday-Sunday, 9am-5pm.

We have a very limited number of free tickets for each session available for Members of Royal Museums Greenwich. Please contact the Membership office to learn more.

Check out the full list of upcoming planetarium shows and events here.

Header image by ESA/Hubble & NASA