LIVERPOOL.- Demonstrators from World Museum’s Planetarium will host a special viewing evening as they gaze on the largest planet in the solar system.

On Thursday (13 January) from 4.30-6.30pm visitors can use telescopes and binoculars on the fifth floor of the venue to look at the night sky above the city. The event is free.

If it’s a cloud-free evening visitors will get a clear view of Jupiter – which is a staggering 365 million miles from Liverpool.

The Planetarium will also be running extra showings of the “Winter Night Sky” during the evening and there will also be craft activities, badge making and inter-galactic games for children.

This is part of BBC Stargazing Live which is seeing hundreds of events take place nationwide looking at the sky at night.

John Moran, from World Museum’s Planetarium, said: “This is the perfect time of year to see Jupiter and we are giving visitors the chance to get up-close with this planet. If it is a clear night they should also be able to see the four moons which circle Jupiter.

“There is so much interest in the night sky at the moment and we were keen to keep the museum open late and stage a special evening like this. We are hoping for a clear night but if it’s cloudy there will be special planetarium shows showing people which planets and constellations to look for and when. “

Jupiter facts:

Jupiter has 63 moons.

Jupiter is 1000 times bigger than the earth.

The distance is so vast that only a handful of spacecraft have ever made the journey. The first was NASA’s Pioneer Ten in 1973.

Jupiter is cold. Temperatures averaging minus 48 degrees centigrade!

World Museum’s Planetarium opened in 1970. It has an eight metre dome and was the first to be opened inside a museum outside London. The planetarium has concentric seating, a set-up not used these days as the fashion has been geared towards IMAX style planetaria.