LANDSBOROUGH Museum is inviting visitors to look beyond the walls of the museum and consider something that has been above us for millennia, the night sky.
A new exhibition, The Night Sky: Our Shared Darkness, opening at Landsborough Museum on October 2, explores our connection to the night sky and the importance of darkness to people, wildlife and the environment.
While we may think of artificial light as an essential part of modern life, the increasing brightness of our towns and cities is having an impact on the natural world. Light pollution can disrupt wildlife, interfere with natural behaviours and reduce our ability to experience the wonder of a truly dark night sky.
The exhibition explores these issues while introducing visitors to the global Dark Skies movement and the Sunshine Coast’s new Dark Sky Reserve in the hinterland. It is an opportunity to learn more about why protecting darkness matters and what communities can do to reduce unnecessary artificial light, while also celebrating the beauty of the stars that can still be seen across our region.
The exhibition also invites the community to become part of the story. Sunshine Coast residents are encouraged to submit their own photographs of the night sky, with selected images to be featured in a digital display.
For Landsborough, having an exhibition of this nature at its local museum is another reminder of the important role the town and its heritage facilities play in connecting the community with the wider Sunshine Coast story. The night sky is something we all share, regardless of where we live.
It connects us to nature, to history and to generations who have looked upwards before us.
Yet it is also something we can easily take for granted.
Perhaps this exhibition is a good reason to pause, switch off the lights, step outside and look up.
The Night Sky: Our Shared Darkness will be on display at Landsborough Museum from October 2, 2026, to February 19, 2027. Entry is free and no registration is required.