THE spectacular sight of constellations, stars and planets seen in the Hampshire skies will be brought to life in a special event tonight.

People will be able to view them from the University of Southampton’s Astrodome and rooftop observatories at an event this evening.

It is all part of the BBC Stargazing Live Stargazing Live programmes, which take place tonight and tomorrow and which aim to inspire people to make the most of the night sky.

The university’s observatories will be one of the vantage points where people can gaze at the stars as well as being educated about the wonders of the universe at the university’s inflatable planetarium called The Astrodome.

The Astrodome will have five shows running during the evening and there will be a number of tours to view the stars from the observatory telescopes.

Experts from the university will be on hand to deliver talks about astronomy, while for those who want to get more hands on they can take part in interactive computer games courtesy of the Astronautics Research Group.

Other activities include ‘Ask the Astronomer’ and ‘Astronomy Know How’ stands, plus astrophotography workshops and ‘World Wide Telescope’ tutorials. The roof tours, planetarium shows and talks are free but require tickets, which can be booked at stargazing2014.eventbrite.co.uk. The event starts at 5.30pm and runs through to 9pm.