20th January

6.00pm – 10.00pm

The Sci-Fi Event is back!

Science and Science-Fiction have a had a long and symbiotic relationship. From Asimov, Wells, Banks, Verne to Clarke, Roddenberry and many others, these giants of science-fiction have paved the way for many new inventions that we take for granted these days.

Science-Fiction fuels the imagination, while Science aims to realize some of those visions.

Celebrate your love of science fiction with the family and like-minded others. Adults and Students under 18yrs, dress up as your science fiction heroes, battle it out over your knowledge of sci-fi music. Have a lovely picnic listening to some great live music, see below. We have some great entry prizes and for our competitions.

Schedule:
6.00pm:  Gates Open

6.15pm – 7.00pm and 7.15pm – 8.00pm  Live Music 2 sets

Set 1 Song Bird, I Can See Clearly Now, Somewhere Out There, Strawberry Fields, Pavane, Ave Maria, Black Orpheus, Besame Mucho, How High the Moon, Cavatina, Romanza andaluza 1.

“MirLyn” with Lyndon and Miriam Kriss

6.15pm – 7.00pm: Water Rocket Launching and children’s activities

6:30pm- 7.30pm: Safe Observation of the Sun, Camera Obscura Demonstrations

7.00pm – Astronomy Storytime for children in Brittain House

7.30pm –  Costume Parade and Door Prize Announcements we have some great prizes,  Junior Prize for best dressed is Tobbie the Robot your ultimate robotic companion. Firstly, power him up and watch him wake up. You can set Tobbie to follow or avoid obstacles in two pre-programmed settings. What’s more he can walk around  on his six legs and can spin in any direction, and will beep and flash his eyes while moving around. Ages 8+. Plus other prizes :)

8.00pm -Sci-Fi Music Quiz

8.45pm Sunset – Viewing at Telescopes begins for children looking at the Moon then as it gets darker, Saturn low in the West and Jupiter NNW and deep sky objects.

10.00pm – Close or when viewing finishes.

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Science and Science-Fiction have a had a long and symbiotic relationship. From Asimov, Wells, Banks, Verne to Clarke, Roddenberry and many others, these giants of science-fiction have paved the way for many new inventions that we take for granted these days

Science-Fiction fuels the imagination, while Science aims to realize some of those visions.

– Is faster than light possible?

– Can humans ever time travel?

– Is the quantum universe real?

– Can string theory provide a viable solution to the concept of multiverse?

– Can we really one day say: Beam me up Scotty!

All these questions and more will be answered during our presentation about the Science and Science-fiction

On the 18th of January 2014, the Ballarat Observatory held its’ first Sci-Fi Event ever in Ballarat. This event is STRICTLY NOT about extraterrestrials, UFOs, paranormal, fantasy, or anything that has no connection to Science. This event is geared at showing how the real science that is done by scientists has some connection to science-fiction. It is also about showing that good science almost always starts as fiction, and it may take a while (decades or even millennia) before it is realized.

Just to have fun, you can even come dressed as your favorite character from science-fiction! Prizes for best character :)

Examples of science-fiction:

– Star Trek

– The Time Machine

– 2001 a Space Odyssey

– Fringe

– Dune

– Blade Runner

– Characters from classic novels by Clarke, Asimov, Bendford, Banks, Wells, Verne, Landis

– Dr. Who- Flash Gordon

This is not an exhaustive list, however, it provides a good guide.

Examples of movies/books NOT considered science-fiction:

– Harry Potter

– Dungeons and Dragons

– Lord of the Rings

– Narnia

– Peter Pan

– anything to do with magic

– X-files

– ghosts, demons and spirits

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Most recent event 2018

First Sci Fi event 2014

Thankyou to our sponsors

Not long now!