Solar Tsunamis

Science Outreach Programme

Tūhura Otago Museum is thrilled to present its newest science showcase: Solar Tsunamis – Parawhenua Kōmaru. Get hands-on with magnets, play with a plasma ball, generate your own electricity, make an aurora, and much, much more.

Solar Tsunamis – Parawhenua Kōmaru introduces you to the science of space weather and its effects on Aotearoa New Zealand. Discover the realms of magnetism, electricity, and geology as you learn how a phenomenon that produces our awesome aurora could also disrupt our electricity and communication systems.

Find out why space weather poses these risks, and learn how an international research collaboration led by the University of Otago is preparing Aotearoa New Zealand’s response to a hazard that is out of this world.

The showcase is designed to engage all age groups; visitors both young and old will be amazed by what they can learn. The exhibition will especially benefit intermediate and secondary-aged students as they develop their understanding of physics, Earth and space science.

Current Location:

2 Nov - 10 Dec: Wellington (Space Place at Carter Observatory)

Upcoming Locations:

14 Dec - 27 Jan: Taupō (Taupō Museum)
17 Feb - 21 March: Hāwera (Hāwera Library, Te Ramanui o Ruapūtahanga)
3 April - 1 June: Palmerston North (Te Manawa Museum of Art, Science & Heritage)
5 - 20 July: Rolleston (Te Ara Ātea)
1 - 19 September: Christchurch (Tūranga, Central Library)

Previous Locations:

Dunedin (Tūhura Otago Museum)
Lake Tekapo (Dark Sky Project)
Hokitika (MTFJ Hub, Pakiwaitara Building)
Motueka (Motueka District Museum)
Napier (Faraday Museum of Technology)
Auckland (Museum of Transport and Technology)
South Auckland (Papakura Museum)
Raetihi
Rotorua

More dates and locations to be announced. To find out more, contact [email protected]