Victor Harbor library will host a special stargazing event on Friday, August 16, when a portable planetarium sets up in the car park as part of national Science Week.

The StarLab inflatable planetarium is a huge silver dome that simulates the night sky of the Southern Hemisphere in beautiful glowing detail. 

Inside, stargazers can discover more about space and the solar system through the use of visual projections, demonstrations and multimedia. 

It is an interactive experience enabling participation by asking questions and making observations about space.

The projector features an amazing fibre-arc system starfield, so the stars accurately show relative brightness.

The theme of National Science Week 2019 is Destination Moon: more missions, more science. 

Celebrating 50 years since the Apollo 11 mission, the theme is a way to discover historic missions to the Moon and space programs that have solved some seemingly unsolvable problems—and current and future space programs, operations and missions.

The mobile planetarium sessions will cover many topics, including what stars are; light pollution; constellations as a map; navigating the stars; and the age of the universe.

There are two sessions; one for ages eight to 14 and one for ages 15 and above. Both have proved very popular with the local community, booking out more than a week in advance in a good sign for future science education events.

It is sponsored by the Regional Science Small Grants Program, which is designed to raise community awareness of the importance of science, innovation and potential science-related careers.

The library is located at the civic centre, 1 Bay Road, Victor Harbor. For more events go to victor.sa.gov.au