Planetarium show: Secrets of the Sun, The Royal Observatory, Greenwich, from February 6 2010
Throughout human history the sun has been a source of wonder and fascination. As our nearest star and provider of light and energy, it has shaped the structure of our lives and seemed like a constant, burning presence we can rely on.
Secrets of the Sun, a new show at The Royal Observatory planetarium, will seek to remind us that despite its seemingly steadfast existence in the sky, the sun is actually far more dynamic than we might imagine.
Spectacular satellite images will be beamed into the planetarium, revealing the sun's ever changing face as it is churned up and pummelled by magnetic fields. Sunspots, some three times larger than the earth, will be shown dancing across the sun's surface, expanding and contracting as they go.
The show will explore violent aspects of the sun such as coronal mass ejections – ferocious, heavy duty explosions which can wipe out satellites, mobile phone networks and power lines.
It will take viewers into the star's roaring core, heated to a sweltering 16 million degrees Celsius and constantly pumping out the heat and light we rely on.
The new show will also examine a more subtle side of the sun in the form of the northern lights. These vivid, awe-inspiring bands of light sweep across the Arctic sky, caused by material from the sun which reaches the earth and is funnelled towards the poles, where it collides with the earth’s atmosphere to dramatic and colourful effect.
The show culminates with the reality of the sun's final fate, a slow demise in five billion years' time as it struggles to use the little fuel it has left.
Secrets of the Sun will go on show in the Peter Harrison Planetarium, the only public planetarium now open in London. Astronomers working at the Royal Observatory will be on hand to answer questions.
Admission £6/£4 (family ticket £16). Shows at 2pm, 2.45pm, 3.30pm and 4.15pm on weekends and holiday weekdays (February 13-21), 2.30pm weekdays during term-time. Book tickets online or call 020 8312 6608.
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