World’s largest astronomy museum opens in Shanghai
TRUE-TO-LIFE stars twinkling around, faraway galaxies swirling above ahead, the Shanghai Astronomy Museum opened for trial operations last week in Lingang, creating a star-studded world away from the neon-lit downtown.
For many, it was worth the wait over four years. The complex itself is a subtle blend of science and art. More notably, it immerses visitors on a journey into the mysteryshrouded universe.
The museum, said to be the largest in the world, officially opened to the public on July 18.
Real-name reservation is required for all. People can buy tickets on the museum’s official website (www. sstm-sam.org.cn) or WeChat Account seven days ahead of a visit. One ID card can only buy one ticket. Every visitor is required to wear a mask and show their health QR code.
An adult ticket is priced at 30 yuan (US$6.4) per person. Tickets for family members of military personnel and elders aged from 60 to 70 are priced at 25 yuan per person.
Tickets for students and children taller than 1.3 meters or aged over six are priced at 15 yuan per person.
Free tickets are available to elders aged over 70, retired officials and children aged under 6.
The museum, located on 380 Lingang Avenue, can receive at most 6,000 people per day.
Construction of the museum began in November 2016.
The complex covers an area of 58,600 square meters near the Dishui Lake Station on Metro Line 16. The steel structures are built in irregular shapes to give a futuristic vibe. Several other breakthroughs were made, such as the 30-meter-in-diameter dome cinema “hanging in the air” and the 200-meter-long spiral staircase with few holds.
The museum features a main building and ancillary structures, including a solar tower, youth observation base and public observatory.
The main building consists of three structures for three celestial bodies: the Oculus, Inverted Dome and Sphere. Together, they form a giant astronomical instrument that tracks time based on changes in light and shadow. It can also display China’s solar terms, created by ancient Chinese, based on the changes in the sun’s position.
“It’s more than just a building. It’s an exquisite astronomical instrument and the biggest exhibit of the museum,” said Lin Qing, director of the museum’s astronomical research center.
The solar tower allows visitors to observe high-definition images of sunspots, solar flares and solar prominences through professional optical devices. Looking through a telescope 1 meter in diameter, people can enjoy “beautiful views of the heavens.”
The world-class planetarium offers unprecedented experiences, backed by cutting-edge interactive technologies and visualizations.
“We are writing something like a textbook, and we are hoping to create some immersive experiences,” Lin said. “So we don’t just hang some models of planets. Instead, we create hyper-realistic virtual environments in the universe. We hope to bring people and the universe closer together.”
The exhibition is divided into three zones — “Home,” “Cosmos” and “Odyssey” — to lead visitors on a tour around the solar system, faraway galaxies and even black holes, and to understand the history of astronomy and inspire people to think about its future.
There are more than 300 exhibits, 85 percent of which are original and over half are embedded with interactive functions.
The “Home” exhibition zone, no doubt, is the most amazing of all. It allows visitors to walk in our solar system to experience the past and present versions of the Earth, moon, sun and other planets, as if God is overlooking the universe. Or visitors can be the “Guardians of the Galaxy” to experience flying a spaceship over a black hole.
There is a life-size model of Tianhe, the core module of China’s space station, which allows visitors to walk in and learn about how astronauts live in the space — what they eat and how they sleep and exercise.