The Mount Stromlo Observatory held its first outdoor movie last Friday. It has more screenings of space-themed movies planned. Photo: Brad Tucker.
A night under the stars has become all the more enjoyable with the Mount Stromlo Observatory turning its 74 inch dome into a cinema screen.
After a huge turnout for its first screening on Friday 23 October, moviegoers have five more dates between Friday 13 November and 15 January 2027 to witness some of the best space-themed movies at the observatory.
ANU associate professor Brad Tucker came up with the idea for the outdoor cinema following a couple of successful years of the observatory hosting events for one of Canberra’s biggest outdoor festivals.
From there, Dr Tucker shot for the stars and made the observatory one of Canberra’s most unique moviegoing experiences.
“We’ve been doing Enlighten the past couple of years up at Mount Stromlo and one of the projection buildings is the 74 inch dome that we used for the Stromlo Outdoor Cinema screenings,” he said.
“After seeing the projections, I thought it would make a great movie screen and hence the idea.
“I’ve also been looking for events to run up here in the summer, but it’s a bit too late in the year for stargazing compared to the winter when we run our monthly public astronomy nights.
“It was a perfect combination of how we can use the dome while also giving people a fun and memorable night out.”
The six movies slated for the outdoor screenings are some of the greatest space-themed movies of all time: Interstellar, The Martian, Arrival, Hidden Figures, Wall-E and The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy.
Last Friday night’s free screening kicked off with Interstellar with tickets being snapped up quickly after its announcement. Tickets for opening night were also free thanks to a partnership with a national mental health service.
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“We partnered with Headspace for this first one showing. They sponsored it to make it free for everyone who was able to book,” Mr Tucker said.
“Headspace was eager to do something with us up here and in the end we thought working with us to show the film was a natural fit.
“Interstellar was such a great film to kick off the event as well. Interstellar is such a popular and interesting film that really resonates with a lot of people. While the black holes and science are amazing, it has a great story as well, one that does connect us all, so it made a great choice.
“For the next movie, we will screen the modern-day classic The Martian on 15 November. The science embedded in The Martian is some of the best ever shown in a movie and the human connection just makes you want to go out and save Matt Damon yourself.”
The next five movies will cost $15 each for adults, $12 for students and $8 for children.
To learn more about the Mount Stromlo Outdoor Cinema, visit the ANU website here.