News
Our pilot science centre is open!
24th August 2026
This news post is arriving a little later than intended – it’s been a busy month for The Planetary Lab team! But: we are very excited to (finally) announce that our new pilot science centre is open in Green Lanes shopping centre in Barnstaple, over the summer holidays and until 19th September!
Since 25th July, we’ve been welcoming people of all ages to our debut exhibition, There’s No Place Like Home – adapted from our climate exhibition hosted in Exeter in 2022 and 2023.
Welcome to Abi, Ben and Jane!
We’ve welcomed our brilliant new Centre Coordinator, Abi (second from the right in the top image alongside our staff and wonderful volunteers Timon and Anna). Abi is running the centre with us and supporting our outreach events!
We’ve also been grateful for help over the summer from our temporary Exhibition Development Officer, Ben who has been helping us develop the astrophysics zones of the exhibition before he leaves for his PhD in September.
If you visit the centre, you’ll also notice the incredible mosaics and sketches of our very first Artist In Residence, Athena Jane Churchill! Jane has been lending her expertise to make our centre look and feel so special – despite our limited time and budget – and has given us so much help and inspiration. We’re really looking forward to continuing our collaboration!
Find out more about the exhibition experience here: https://planetarylab.org/barnstaple, and the range of workshops and events we’re running throughout our residency!
We’re now looking for our long-term home in Barnstaple, and we’re really grateful to North Devon Council for their support with this – along with The Fore who have generously provided funding and support to enable us to launch, it’s been transformative to have this opportunity, and we’re very excited about the next phase!
Stay tuned for updates – and in the meantime, while you can: come and visit us!