A new show at the Melbourne Planetarium called Tilt will screen these school holidays, taking families on a whirlwind adventure through space to explore the effect of Earth’s tilt on the seasons. 

As the Summer Solstice approaches this December, Scienceworks is preparing to launch the new show, which has been developed in-house by a team of expert designers and scientists. 

“We’re in the final stages of putting together the animation and music for Tilt, ready for the show to be launched on Boxing Day, December 26,” said Dr Tanya Hill, Astronomer for the Melbourne Planetarium. 

“It’s great timing, since Australia is about to experience the Summer Solstice this Thursday – an event that marks the longest day of the year and is a direct result of the Earth’s tilt. 

“It also happens to be the final day of the school term which means the new show will be released in time for children to have a great new experience at Scienceworks over the school holiday period.” 

Tilt tells the story of Annie and her younger brother Max as they work to save the Earth when the seasons start to go crazy. Their journey takes them into space and around the planet as they discover the axis of the Earth and our orbit around the Sun directly impacts the way the world experiences seasons.

“Max has a 60s tin toy robot, Kelvin, who magically transports them into space to get a real perspective on the Earth, its tilt and its orbit,” said Warik Lawrance, Production Designer for the Melbourne Planetarium. 

“We’ve used 3D character animation to bring Annie, Max and Kelvin to life.  Tilt is the first show produced at the Melbourne Planetarium to use such extensive character animation. It’s a technique that’s still developing in the fulldome environment, which is the industry standard for immersive planetarium films.” 

The Melbourne Planetarium is the only place in Australia to produce and distribute its own fulldome planetarium shows, and has award-winning productions screening on domes both nationally and internationally. 

“We’ve been in production on Tilt for the last 2 years and we’re really pleased to now be able to share it with everyone” said the Dr Hill. 

Tilt will run daily at the Melbourne Planetarium at Scienceworks from December 26.

Adult tickets are $16, concession $5 and children $4.50 (includes general admission to Scienceworks).