Astronomy on Tap
Schedule
Tue Mar 31 2026 at 10:00 am to 12:00 pm
UTC+13:00Location
40 Salamanca Road, Kelburn, Wellington, New Zealand 6140 | Wellington, WG
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Experience the wonders of the Universe with Astronomy on Tap, Space Place’s after‑hours planetarium series, where great science meets great drinks.Begin your journey with a drink on arrival and some first‑class in-flight snacks. Then settle into our digital full-dome planetarium as we travel from Pōneke into the vast depths of space. Complete your trip with a visit to the cash bar and our interactive exhibitions.
Whether you’re bringing someone special, catching up with a friend, or exploring solo, raise your glass to the night sky and enjoy a stellar ride.
Tuesday 31 March: Tour of the Solar System (and Beyond!)
Have you ever looked up and wondered what’s really out there? This month, we’re taking you on a grand tour of our cosmic neighbourhood, and then pushing far beyond it.
We’ll begin right here in Pōneke, exploring the night sky and discovering where Earth sits in the vastness of space. Then buckle up for a whistle‑stop journey around our Solar System: planets, moons, oddballs, and everything in between. Finally, we’ll launch thousands of light-years outward into deep space to meet some of the galaxy’s most extraordinary sights.
Come see the night sky as you’ve never seen it before.
Tuesday 28 April: Scale of the Universe
How big is big? How small is small? And where exactly do we fit?
April’s Astronomy on Tap dives into the mind‑bending scales of the cosmos, from our skies over Pōneke to the edge of the observable Universe. After orienting ourselves in the night sky, we’ll journey outward past planets, moons, star‑forming nebulae, and even black holes, until we reach the faint glow of the Cosmic Microwave Background nearly 93 billion light-years away.
It’s a fast, fun, and perspective-shifting ride through space and time, with drinks and nibbles for the trip.
Tuesday 26 May: Planets, Exoplanets & Moons
Our Solar System alone is packed with wonders, icy moons, volcanic worlds, and Saturn’s hundreds of orbiting companions. But beyond our Sun lies an even larger menagerie of strange and spectacular exoplanets.
In May, join us for a journey through the planets, exoplanets, and moons both near and far. We’ll visit some of the Solar System’s most dramatic worlds, then leap to distant star systems to explore alien planets that are hotter, colder, larger, smaller, weirder, and wilder than anything we’ve ever seen up close.
What might we discover out there? Come along and find out.
Tuesday 30 June: Matatiki
Ka puta Matariki, ka rere Whānui, ko te tohu o te tau.
Matariki appears as Whānui flees; this is the sign of the new year.
The Matariki star cluster appears in our morning sky in midwinter, signaling the transition to spring and eventually to summer. This collection of stars, along with Puanga, te Marama, and other aspects of tō tātou taiao – our environment – are just some of the tohu or signs that tell us we are approaching the New Year. Haere mai, join us for this month’s Astronomy on Tap to learn how to read the signs and celebrate the significance of this time of year.
$45pp | 8PM–10PM | R18 | Space Place
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Where is it happening?
40 Salamanca Road, Kelburn, Wellington, New Zealand 6140, New ZealandEvent Location & Nearby Stays:
Know what’s Happening Next — before everyone else does.
