Intech is a bang up-to-date hands-on Science Centre and Planetarium near Winchester in Hampshire and is a fabulous day out for big (and little!) kids, along with anyone who has an interest in the practical side of science.

Introduced to Dr. Jenny Shipway of the Intech Planetarium through David Woods from HantsAstro, we arranged for me to photograph the venue and produce some 360° tours for use on their website and other avenues of publicity.

Arriving early for a showing of 'Black Holes: The Other Side of Infinity', I was shown into the domed room of the planetarium and took a very comfortable (very) reclined seat ready for the show.

Gazing up to the roof as the show started, I was stunned at how immersive the 6 projector system and 4000x4000 pixel presentation actually was. Narrated by none other than Liam Neeson, the black hole show was not only visually beyond comparison, but very entertaining and extremely informative.

Using actual astronimical data and state-of-the-date computer modelling, the show took you from the very first, super massive black holes, through them and back again, without dazzling you with scientific jargon. The 3D models used to explain Einstein's theories of Spacetime being bent by gravity were clear and understandible. And, as this had somewhat perplexed me in the past, I quickly grasped the theory and what it all meant!

The show at Intech was so realistic that I felt that I could almost reach out and grab hold of the stars and galaxies as they went past me and out of my field of vision - it's that good!

After the show had ended, I not only felt like I had learned something, but also had been thoroughly entertained with a fully enveloping, visual feast that anyone would enjoy watching, interested in space or not.

A visit to the centre is highly recommended!

Below are the two 360° virtual tours I made for Intech to use. They are both fully rotatable, zoomable, and to get a really BIG view of the auditorium, they will also go full screen - have a play with the icons on the bottom left of the player and enjoy them! I've made the image files as high quality as possible without comprimising on download time, so if they take a few seconds to download, please be patience. You'll need a recent copy of Adobe Flash Player to view them. You can download it for free from Adobe.com