World's Largest Planetarium Opening in Shanghai [世界最大天文馆将落户上海]
By William Lee
Check ignition, take your protein pills and put your helmets on...
Construction on the world’s largest planetarium began in Shanghai this week. The building will be located in the Lingang part of Pudong and will consist of a main building, a solar tower, a youth observation base and a public observatory.
The undertaking will cost an astronomical RMB528 million (US$80 million) and should be open to members of the public in 2020.
The infrastructure at the project is designed to be green, making use of solar power technologies and rainfall collection and purification.
The building looks Copernican in design, a theme befitting of the subject matter. The main building is elliptical in shape mirroring the orbital trajectory of planets and radial sidewalks spiral out in an approximation of a galaxy viewed from afar.
The director of the planetarium’s exhibition department, Lin Qing, said “Connecting humans and the universe is the exhibition theme of our planetarium. Visitors will enjoy the panorama of solar system and our galaxy, learn cosmic structure and theory and the history of human’s universe exploring. There are also special areas to exhibit astronomy in China.”
The exhibition’s specs will compete with the word’s leading planetariums in developed countries. There will also be provisions for kids to camp out at the planetarium overnight in summer to observe the stars and sky.
[Image via Shanghai Daily]
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全球最大的天文馆于本周正式在上海动工。选址于浦东区的临港，这座天文馆将由一幢主体建筑，魔力太阳塔、青少年观测基地、大众天文台台组成。
这项工程将斥资人民币5.28亿，预计可在2020年和公众见面。项目中的基础设施将使用绿色环保资源，包括太阳能发电以及雨水回收利用和生态净化处理。
建筑外观采用哥白尼式的设计，这与场馆的主题相互辉映。主体建筑的形状呈椭圆形，是模仿从银河系远处观察到的行星轨道轨迹和径向的人行道螺旋线形状。
上海天文馆建设指挥部展示部部长林清说道：“连接人类和宇宙空间是这个天文馆的主题。观众可以穿梭到太阳系和银河系，了解宇宙构成原理和人类探索宇宙的历程。以及对未来的憧憬，启发观众深刻的思考和感悟。馆内还有特别设立中国天文学展览区域。”
这座天文馆的落成也将跻身世界顶级天文馆的行列。天文馆或对青少年夏令营开放住宿，方便孩子们在观测基地夜观星象。
[图片来源：Shanghai Daily]
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