Search the Museum Victoria website

Black Holes: Journey into the Unknown

Imagine a place where time stand stills and the known laws of physics don’t apply.

Imagine a place where the universal order breaks down and where the unimaginable becomes reality; welcome to the world of Black Holes.

Narrated by Academy Award winning actor Geoffrey Rush, this Planetarium show brings to life all that is fascinating and extreme in the world of black holes. What makes a black hole? How do we find them? Would you survive falling into one?

Discover what science has taught us about these most bizarre creations. Follow their story from an extraordinary idea of the late 18th century through to their unexpected detection almost 200 years later.

Black holes - no longer the stuff of science fiction, their discovery has been a triumph of modern science. An incredible journey from imagination to reality.

Download the Black Holes Trailer video

EVENT DETAILS

Event Type: Planetarium Show

Weekends, Until 19 May 2013
3:00 PM - 3:45 PM

Melbourne Planetarium

Cost per film: $6 adult, $5 concessions and $4.50 children, plus museum entry.
MV Members receive discounted entry.

Bookings recommended especially on weekends, school holidays and public holidays. Phone 13 11 02

Buy Tickets Online

Comments (45)

sort by: most popular; newest; oldest

Hi David, we have sent this to our Customer Service Manager at Scienceworks, who we believe has been in touch with you personally.

I was visiting from Sydney one long weekend and was told to just arrive at scienceworks and I would obtain ticket. I arrived and they had sold out and no one was helpful that they could organise a ticket for me, eventhough I followed their instructions. I WOULD NEVER visit your silly facility again. NO ONE WAS Helpful.

When will it be showing again post 26/06/2011?

hello, i saw the show today and there was a reference and accompanying animation to a book in which a research vessel was jettisoned with a person still inside and sucked into a black hole. I have forgotten the title and author but would like to read it. If anyone can give me this info it would be really appreciated. Thank you

It rocks to much to be true

I saw it yesterday and i loved it and I want to see it again!

it was AMAZING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Hi Kiki, Black Holes is not running for Autumn Holidays, which start end of this week, but it will return as a weekend show from Sat 30 April and run every Saturday and Sunday at 3pm until the Winter Holidays that begin Saturday 2 July.

Hi Kathryn, Black Holes will be on every day for the Summer Holidays (starting Boxing day). Escape From Andraxus, is suitable for adults and is on every day of the spring school holidays. It covers the life cycle of stars. A new show, called Tilt, which covers seasons, is expected to open this summer. Our award-winning show Our Living Climate, examines the relationship between climate and life on Earth and is on every day of the week.

In March we'll be running our very popular Discover the Night Sky sessions: five topics over five Thursdays evenings with astronomer Dr Tanya Hill, plus telescope viewing (weather permitting). Phone or on-line bookings will open in February 2012.

Hi Jeremy, Thanks for your enquiry. If you'd like to give the Scienceworks Bookings & Enquiries team a call on 9392 4819 and they'd be happy to give you some more information about the age ranges for each Planetarium show.

I'm visiting Melbourne in early August with my 7yr old son. What shows will you have on then? I'd like to plan our trip. We saw the Star Wars exhibition some years ago and had a fantastic time.

Hi there Michelle, you'll notice that all our new times, including those in August, have now gone up! Simply click on the different shows at the left and you'll be able to see if they suit your timeframe.

Hi There: what age range do you suggest for this show? My 5 yr old wants to bring his friends to a show at the planetarium for his birthday (he's seen the Tycho show maybe 15 times and loves it) This show looks to be pitched a little older though. How do kids that age respond to this show? thanks :)

Hi there Will the 'Black Holes' show be back on the Planetarium program any time soon? Thanks

Hi Kate,

'Black Holes – Journey into the Unknown' will be returning to the Planetarium every weekend from the 17th April to 28th June. Session times will be available close to the dates.

Hi guys at the planetarium, I was just wondering if there was any chance that I could speak with a professional on black holes. P.S. I am coming in tomorrow to see the show.

Hi Josh,
If you have any specific questions you would like answered, you can submit them through our Ask the Experts website.

Hi, my experience with Planetarium show is similar to David's above. We arrived and both shows were booked out. It would be really good if you could have second or backup scheduling of the show in the event the first being booked out. It is very disappointing to arrive a little early, have to stand in a long line and then be told that the show is booked out and unavailable. Perhaps you could also have some indication on the website of how how much room is left as it gets closer to ehd day, at least?

Hi Jo,

We are sorry that you had this experience. If you visited on the long weekend, an extra show was put on however this also sold out. The Scienceworks website does have a 'Check Latest Availability' function where ticket sales are shown as available, selling or sold out for the Planetarium, Lightning Room and the Wallace & Gromit exhibition. Hopefully this will be of assistance to visitors for future shows.

Hello, Will there be any evening shows coming up at the Planetarium? Thank you.

Our annual Discover the Night Sky evenings will be running Thursday nights in August 2013. You can subscribe to Skynotes to keep up to date with the Planetarium and Discover the Night Sky updates: http://museumvictoria.com.au/planetarium/discoverycentre/skynotes/

any late nite Planetarium shows? :) i mean like getting high into space is the intention

Hi bigkid,

Unfortunately due to maintenance work that is to be undertaken on the Planetarium, we will not be offering after hours shows at this stage.

Sorry for any inconvenience.

OMG THIS IS SO AWSOME!! :) U GUYS R THE BEST EVER WOW THIS IS GONNA BE SOOOOOOO AWSOME!

Hi, I was just wanting to know when there might be a new show coming to the planetarium? I have two children who are in love with the black holes showing and I am keen to take them to another program when one becomes available. As much as I can appreciate the need for children programs my two are inclined to sit through a more documentary style program. Thank you in advance for your time.

Hi Elisha, Perhaps “Escape from Andraxus” would interest your children if they’ve not seen it? It’s semi-documentary and covers the life cycle of stars and stellar evolution. It currently runs Saturdays and Sundays at 3pm.

An alternative is Swinburne University’s public astronomy shows in their virtual reality theatre at their Hawthorn Campus. They run during school holidays. See this link for details: http://astronomy.swin.edu.au/outreach/?topic=public

Find it quite difficult to figure out which show is on when at the planetarium ... can you help?

Hi Karen,

To find the upcoming shows for the Planetarium, please click here.

Select ‘Planetarium’ - (Please note that if you are interested in visiting the Carnival of Science or the Lightning Room, you need to select the appropriate combination tickets at this step)

Click “Check latest availability”

Then select the day you are interested in.

If you are interested in booking your ticket, follow the rest of the prompts on the ticket buying web application.

close this reply

Write your reply to Karen's comment All fields are required

Name Please enter your name
Email (will not be published) Please enter an email address
Please enter a valid email
Comment Please enter a comment
How many letters are in the name Victoria? Please answer the anti-spam question Anti-spam question incorrect

We love receiving comments, but can’t always respond.

Hi Ashley, it is expected we will be running Black Holes every Saturday and Sunday at 3:00pm from July 23^rd for term 3.

Is there a chance you will have the blackhole show over the summer holidays?

when is this playing again??

I really want to see this! It sounds really cool!

i so want to see this

I would like which age range is the target public for this show.

Hi Matt, the book is called “Gateway” by Frederik Pohl.

Hi Amali, Black Holes is not scheduled again until the Summer Holidays (starting Boxing Day) when it will run every day at 3pm until the holidays ends and schools resume for 2012. Incidentally, the new animated show Tilt is scheduled for the summer holidays as well. It replaces Spinning Out which is being retired.

When is the show "Escape from Andraxus" coming back? It only showed in the Spring School Holidays.

‘Escape from Andraxus’ will be shown every Sunday at 1:00pm from 7^th Feb to 30^th March (1^st Term)

Hi This show is fantastic. I highly recomend to anybody wanting a great planetarium show. There was a science fiction novel mentioned in the narration. Does anybody know the name of it?

Hi Wayne, the novel was “Gateway” written by Frederick Pohl in 1976 and still in print. Most recently published by Gollancz UK in 2010 as part of their Science Fiction Masterworks series.

My partner and I are thinking of coming but all your programs seem to be targeted to really young kids, I know you must do some like that but could you fashon some shows for adults? This one looked really good but it isn't showing now, are you bringing it out again?

The black holes show seems to come and go often at the planetarium. I was wondering when you were planning on showing it again as I would really love to see it!

ANGELA? omg I just found out we have a planetarium in melbourne, this is so freaking awesome XDD

Is this show "Black Holes" showing with "Tempus.Ruhr" in Fulldome Fridays?

Yes, Black Holes is showing with Tempus.ruhr on Feb 10^th and 24^th both at 7:30pm. Check the following : http://museumvictoria.com.au/planetarium/whatson/fulldome-fridays/

Image Gallery

Related Resources

External links

Join Up & Join In!

Follow Planetarium on

MV Links

Hi Jess, Our Living Climate is one of four shows currently running at the Planetarium - the others are called Tilt, Tycho to the Moon, and Black Holes: Journey...

Discovery Centre on Our Living Climate