Among the astrophysical centers existing in our country, an observatory located in the Siberian Federal District can be especially distinguished . The Planetarium (Novosibirsk), the photo of which is located below, is a local attraction. Its construction was dedicated to the 50th anniversary of the flight of Yu. A. Gagarin into space. In the article below, you can get acquainted with the nuances of the construction and opening of this building, with the proposed programs and the work schedule of this institution.
Background
Astronomy lovers created the first Novosibirsk observatory in pre-revolutionary times on the basis of a real-life school. However, over the many years of their unprofessional activity, the question of creating a “window to the Universe” has become especially acute. For this reason, in 2006 at the astronomical forum it was decided to build a large urban planetarium. This issue was immediately brought up for discussion. And as soon as possible we determined the place for the construction of a scientific and educational institution. They decided to erect a planetarium (Novosibirsk) on Klyuch-Kamyshinskaya Upland, on the southern side of this site.
Project development
The definition of the construction plan, as well as the development of the scheme of this building was entrusted to the architect I.V. Popovsky. By the way, for his project he was subsequently awarded the Golden Capital prize. Initially, it was planned to carry out all the work in two stages. The first involved the construction of the astrophysical center itself, the Foucault Tower and the creation of a park zone. The second point was the construction of a scientific and technical museum for children. For this building, a special place was allocated in the adjacent territory. The planetarium (Novosibirsk) was created as a two-story building. On the lower tier all utility rooms, office rooms and technical rooms were placed. In addition, there is a studio for filming films.
The territory of the upper floor is the heart of the planetarium. They built a star hall, which crowned the 16-meter dome. Two towers were also erected to study celestial objects. And for the convenience of visitors, they planned a cafe-dining room, a large hall and study rooms.
It was possible to start the implementation of the second part of the project only in 2009. Then the construction of the youth planetarium was included in the plan for the preparation and conduct of the celebration of the flight into space of Gagarin. For this purpose, about 340 million rubles were allocated from the federal, city and regional budgets. As a result, at the end of 2012, they erected an actual building equipped only with modern technology. This type of astrophysical center is rightfully considered one of the largest in the Asian part of our country.
In recent years, radical changes have occurred in this area. So, 2008 was marked by the opening of a planetarium in Nizhny Novgorod. And 2011 gave such a building to the city of Yaroslavl. In addition, all construction work of the Moscow "window into the Universe" was completed. Tomsk and Novokuznetsk centers have been completely updated technically. But it is worth noting that the vast majority of planetariums are outdated, not only mentally, but also physically.
Official opening
The planetarium (Novosibirsk) was solemnly commissioned on the day of Russian science in 2012. Residents and guests of the city were able to get acquainted with the star hall, which seats more than 100 people at a time. I also had the opportunity to admire the huge dome located in this room. For information, in order to achieve a better projection of the image, the arch was built at a certain slope. The observatory’s premises were equipped with the most up-to-date equipment, mainly of the Barko company. For the convenience of the audience, special seats were installed that can recline 45 degrees.
Reviews
The planetarium has been visited by a huge number of people throughout its existence. And everyone only had positive memories of this place. Moreover, couples with children note that this institution is primarily entertaining in nature. But seriously speaking, this place for the younger generation can serve as a guide when choosing a further profession. Since everything here is aimed at developing interest in the natural sciences and astronomy.
Planetarium (Novosibirsk). Poster
Visitors can choose one of 3 suggested sessions:
1. Lectures of a general nature. Here everyone can see the exhibits located on the 2nd floor, as well as find out a lot of interesting information about the planetarium itself.
2. A special program. This event takes place in the star hall and includes a brief report on an astronomical theme and watching a film on the dome of the building.
3. Visiting the Foucault Tower.
The planetarium (Novosibirsk) invites visitors to familiarize themselves with the interesting film "Dark Matter". By the way, it lasts only 17 minutes. Here, the audience will discover the nature of the occurrence of this phenomenon. Also, those who wish can learn a lot of information about the formation of black holes in the Universe. A special video was created for this purpose. However, there is an age limit on attending these sessions. Children under 4 years old will not be able to see the proposed films.
Additional Information
The address of the Planetarium (Novosibirsk) is: 1/1 Klyuch-Kamyshinskoye Plateau. The astronomical center is open for visits on Monday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., and on all other days of the week from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.