Wits Digital Dome: 100 Hours of Astronomy and World Space Week

STRICTLY NO LATE ENTRY, No persons under 5 years old permitted.

Journey to the Stars presents the fascinating story that connects us all to the stars. This will be followed by a talk by Dr Tanita Ramburuth-Hurt on "We are made of star dust" on how elements in the Universe are created inside of stars through nuclear fusion, long after the Big Bang. Among these elements are carbon, iron and calcium, the very building blocks of which we are made, meaning that we literally come from star dust.

STRICTLY NO LATE ENTRY, No persons under 5 years old permitted.

Rising Star presents an astronomical journey from our beginnings through the development of astronomy research in South Africa through multi-wavelength and multi-messenger astronomy. This will be followed by a talk by Dr Sheldon Herbst on "Astronomy Through the Spectrum" where we will travel through the electromagnetic spectrum from radio waves to gamma rays, exploring how astronomers detect these different forms of electromagnetic radiation and, more importantly, what phenomena produce them.

STRICTLY NO LATE ENTRY, No persons under 5 years old permitted.

Worlds Beyond Earth takes viewers on an exhilarating adventure through our cosmic neighborhood. Immersive visualizations showcase the solar system with unprecedented accuracy, including a landing on the cratered surface of our own Moon, a dramatic flight through the swirling rings of Saturn, and soaring encounters with distant worlds of active volcanoes and buried oceans. This will be followed by "Ask an astronomer" panel where public can ask space related questions to a panel of astronomers.

STRICTLY NO LATE ENTRY, No persons under 5 years old permitted.

Dark Universe celebrates the pivotal discoveries that have led to greater knowledge of the universe and our place in it. This will be followed by a talk by Dr Sam van Leuven on "Black Holes: From Cosmic Shadows to the Fabric of Reality". Black holes are one of the most dramatic objects in the universe, and with recent discoveries have been transformed from strange mathematical possibilities in Einstein’s theory of gravity into real objects present even in our very own galaxy.

STRICTLY NO LATE ENTRY, No persons under 5 years old permitted.

Cosmic Collisions delves into the destructive but beautiful collisions that fuel our universe. This will be followed by a talk by Dr Anton Dmytriiev on "Cosmic Messengers: Exploring the Universe Beyond Light" on astronomy discoveries from high-energy particles known as cosmic rays, elusive particles called neutrinos, and gravitational waves.

STRICTLY NO LATE ENTRY, No persons under 5 years old permitted.

Passport to the Universe takes audiences on an incredible journey through the observable universe. This will be followed by a talk by Dr Nikhita Ramkilowan on "Your place in the universe".

STRICTLY NO LATE ENTRY, No persons under 5 years old permitted.

Code Your Own Space Game
Ready for lift-off? In this hands-on workshop, kids build their own space game using real code!
Instructor: Chelsi Goliath (Computer Scientist)

They'll build a rocket that follows the mouse, leaves a fiery trail behind it, and flies through a sky of twinkling stars. Clicking a star makes it burst into sparks. Along the way, they'll learn real programming concepts like variables, loops and animation.

No coding experience needed, just curiosity!

NB: Bring your own Laptop, iPad, Tablet & Mouse