Frazzled parents in need of help to keep children’s boredom at bay over the summer holidays can put their feet up for a few minutes at Centre for Life in Newcastle. Barbara Hodgson takes a seat for its new Planetarium show

THE Big Bang, mysteries of the universe and great thinkers of the day might sound weighty matters for youngsters looking for some light-hearted fun.

But a new show at the Planetarium in the Life Science Centre manages to combine the two extremes in a 20-minute blast through the history of astronomy.

As the lights go down, a mix of bright and breezy animation and fascinating visuals of planets and the night sky plays out overhead in the new addition to Life’s in-house shows: On the Shoulders of Giants.

The title is a reference to the well-worn saying of dwarves standing on the shoulders of giants, having – thanks to another – an ability to see further.

Famously quoted by Isaac Newton in describing progress with his own telescopic inventions, it’s a concept realised here in the shape of a giant animated girl and tiny man who discuss between them scientific leaps which are built, thanks to groundwork by others, on top of those that have gone before.

And so we journey from the early understanding of Ancient Egyptians through Aristotle to gradual advancements made by the likes of astronomers Galileo and Hubble.

The facts we learn about the universe along the way work well in combination with the illustrations by Edinburgh-based artist Carmen Moran to make science fun – the whole ethos of Centre for Life.

From showing the movement of the planets to the wider wonders of the Solar System, it explains how science works: observations lead to theories which lead to predictions which can be tested against new observations.