Children now the stars in space that used to be planetarium

The star-gazing attraction was opened in 2007 in the grounds of Harewood House, near Leeds, but the three geodesic domes have now been turned into an interactive play area and a shop.

The indoor attraction is for children as young as two to explore subjects such as science and the arts.

Called geopods, the three domes are open to the public from today.

One has been turned into a Discovery Pod, one a Film Pod, which shows short educational features, and the third is a shop selling books and crafts.

Harewood House is also hosting a new exhibition about ceramics, entitled Fragile Stories.

Upcoming events at Harewood include a kite festival in May and a Pepper Pig children's event.

The operators of the planetarium, which was supported with 1.2m from taxpayers, are hoping to find a new site to re-open it in the long term.

The company behind the planetarium, Space Connections, said in February that it was not financially viable to move the domes at the current time. It promotes astronomy and is involved in educational work with schools and colleges on the subject of space and exploration.