Shanghai Will Open the Largest Planetarium in the World Next Year

Located in the Pudong district of Shanghai, the planetarium will become the largest museum of astronomy in the world. The Pudong local government has been putting a lot of effort into turning the district into a high-level cultural center. The planetarium is part of an integrated plan to create more cultural venues in the Pudong district such as the Pudong Art Museum, the Expo Culture Park, Pudong Art Museum, the Shanghai Museum. The other-worldly architecture will be reminiscent of planets spinning around and swirling into the cosmos. The observatory and its enormous telescopes will offer highly detailed views on the moon and other planets. The site will also feature a theater along with a research center, as well as permanent and temporary exhibitions.

The planetarium will allow you to jump into the new twenties (2020 huh!) with exciting activities, merging the latest high-tech innovation with AR and VR activities. Architect Thomas Wong commented: “In linking the new museum to both scientific purpose and to the celestial references of buildings throughout history, the exhibits and architecture will communicate more than scientific content: they will illuminate what it means to be human in a vast and largely unknown universe.” The planetarium design concept is based on the idea of 3 celestial bodies: the Oculus, the Inverted Dome, and the Sphere. These three structures will be connected together to form the biggest planetarium of all time.

The Shanghai Planetarium construction was put on hold during the covid19 outbreak. To protect its worker’s health new guidelines and rules were enforced, luckily the construction was able to resume last week, so the construction should be ready for next year! The Planetarium will be part of the mega-project Nanhui New City, a planned city located in the Pudong District set to attract 450,000 residents and 10 million tourists. This “Mini-Hong-Kong” city will host several cultural activities centers and university campuses and be part of the Shanghai free-trade zone.

So, what do you think about the Shanghai museum of Astronomy and the city’s plan to develop the Pudong district? If like us you cannot wait to visit the Planetarium and throw yourself into the vast unknown: Rendez-vous next year!