The world’s largest planetarium is almost complete!
The planetarium is 38,164 square meters and costs around 600 million RMB to build.
Can you guess where it is?
It’s in Shanghai!
It’s the Shanghai Planetarium!
Located in the Lingang New Area of Shanghai about 700 meters away from Dishui Lake subway station. Construction of this three-storey museum started back in 2016 and is expected to be completed by the end of the year. It’s scheduled to welcome its first guests in 2021.
The pavilion was designed in collaboration by the American architect firm Ennead and the Shanghai Modern Architecture Design Institute.
Its smooth silhouette is inspired by the orbital motion of the sun and earth. The designers want guests to feel like they’re walking into the infinite movement and change of the universe.
The planetarium will be integrated with the Shanghai Science and Technology Museum and the Shanghai Museum of Nature creating an integrated three-hall pattern.
At the main entrance to the planetarium, there is a circular skylight, which casts beams of light on the ground as the sun rises and sets. It moves slowly and constantly just like a large sundial with time scales drawn on the ground.
The main exhibition area will be divided into three sections including; “home”, “universe”, and “journey”.
The “home” exhibition area will spread out from the familiar starry sky, sun, earth, and moon. It will lead the audience to walk in the solar system and across the Milky Way. The plan is to build an optical sky hall, 18 meters in diameter, that will mimic the starry sky at any time and place on earth.
The “universe” exhibition area is shown from the perspective of space-time, light, gravity, elements, and life. It presents the wonderful phenomena of the universe and explores the evolution and operation mechanism of celestial bodies.
The “journey” exhibition area presents the great course of human exploration of the universe and the beautiful vision for the future. It’s meant to inspire the audience to think and feel deeply!
In addition to the main pavilion, there will be a public observatory, a magic sun tower, a youth observation base, an astronomical garden, and a restaurant.
To make up for urbanites’ desire to see the stars, the new Shanghai planetarium will offer stargazing services. These services will be open to limited audiences at night. It will be available to children as long as they’re attended by a guardian.
The observatory has the largest telescope in the field of science popularization at a diameter of 1 meter!
This planetarium is sure to be a huge hit in Shanghai, we can’t wait until it opens!
What about you?
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