Museums Victoria Research Institute is responsible for the state’s scientific and cultural collections, providing public access through three museums.
We also oversee a wide range of research programs, the continued development of the state’s collections, and run major education and research based websites.
We are the largest public museums organisation in Australia.
Jonti Horner, University of Southern Queensland and Tanya Hill, Museums Victoria Research Institute
Astronomers have found an Earth-like planet orbiting our nearest neighbour, the red dwarf star Proxima Centauri. So any chance that planet may be habitable?
A fantastic lineup of planets has been visible over the past few weeks. Glance upwards just after sunset and all five bright planets – Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter and Saturn – the only planets that can…
The Earth has one steadfast companion – the moon has been locked in orbit around the Earth since its violent formation more than four billion years ago. However, Earth’s gravity can also tug on small nearby…
After sundown from late July through August, there’s the chance to see five planets at once in the evening sky. Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter and Saturn are the only planets in our solar system bright…
What’s round, orbits the sun and resides in the heavily-populated parts of our solar system such as the asteroid belt or the Kuiper belt? It’s a dwarf planet, and astronomers have just discovered a new…
D’étranges organismes au chapeau gélatineux ont été découverts dans des fonds marins au large de l’Australie. Les scientifiques ont mené l’enquête. Surprise, surprise !
Look towards the north-west after sunset and there is currently one bright point of light that easily stands out relative to everything around it. That is the planet Jupiter, shining with an intense and…
What scientists first thought was an ancient species that had survived undiscovered for many millions of years, turns out to be part of something equally mysterious.
This weekend Mars appears at its best and brightest. It reaches opposition on Sunday, May 22, which means the planet will appear opposite the sun as viewed from Earth and it brings Mars closest to Earth…
The International Space Station (ISS) has completed more than 100,000 orbits of Earth. It reached this impressive milestone on Monday afternoon (AEST), May 16. The station’s odometer has clocked more than…
In a surprise to comet watchers, Comet 252P/LINEAR is rapidly brightening as it flies past Earth. The comet will make its closest approach around 12:15am on March 22 (AEDT), and it’ll be a close one for…
Since January, there have not been any planets to see in the evening sky. Instead, all five bright planets have been visible in the early hours before sunrise. But now Jupiter, the king of the planets…
This Wednesday, March 9, the sun and moon will meet together in the daytime sky. Over Indonesia, the moon will perfectly line-up with the sun, producing a total solar eclipse that follows a path across…
Tanya Hill, Museums Victoria Research Institute and Jonti Horner, University of Southern Queensland
Scientists say they have evidence that the solar system has an extra planet, bigger than Earth and way beyond Pluto. So how come we never knew this before?
For the first time in more than 10 years, it will be possible to see all five bright planets together in the sky. Around an hour or so before sunrise, Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter and Saturn, the five…
Twenty years ago this month, astronomers announced the discovery of the first planet found orbiting an ordinary star, one quite similar to our sun but a few billion years older. The star was 51 Pegasi…
Before sunrise this Friday, October 9, Venus will briefly hide behind the moon, as seen from central and eastern Australia. This rare event is known as a Lunar Occultation of Venus. For about an hour…