Beijing Planetarium

Beijing Planetarium

The Beijing Planetarium is a national AAAA-level tourist attraction and a patriotic education base.

The Beijing Planetarium is located on Xizhimen Outer Street in Beijing and is a national-level thematic science museum dedicated to natural sciences. It primarily promotes astronomy knowledge to the public through artificial starry sky simulation shows, astronomy exhibitions, the publication and distribution of popular science books and periodicals on astronomy, and organizing public stargazing activities. In addition, it also regularly organizes various science outreach activities for young students of different levels, such as astronomy lectures, training sessions, astronomy Olympiads, knowledge contests, and summer (or winter) astronomy science camps, to guide and cultivate students' interest and passion for natural sciences. The Beijing Planetarium has become a major platform in China for promoting astronomy education and outreach to the public, especially young people. Since 1995, the planetarium has been designated as a national, municipal, and district-level science education base, a science and peace education base, and a youth patriotism education base, among others, and has been awarded the honorary title of “Advanced Science Education Collective” at both national and municipal levels multiple times.

The facility consists of two main parts: Hall A and Hall B. Hall A was constructed in 1955 and opened to the public in 1957. With a total floor area of approximately 7,000 square meters, its main facilities include a planetarium theater, an exhibition hall, a film and lecture hall, and a public observatory. The planetarium theater in Hall A reopened in July 11, 2008, after renovation. It features 400 seats and is equipped with a German Zeiss Model IX planetarium projector, a full-dome digital projection system by the American company Sky-Skan, four auxiliary laser projectors, four fog machines, and a 13.1-channel surround sound system. This top-tier combination makes the Beijing Planetarium’s theater one of the most advanced in the world. The west exhibition hall hosts the “Touring the Starry Sky” exhibit, while the east exhibition hall features “Galileo’s Telescope—The Tool That Changed the World.”

The new building was constructed on the original site of the planetarium at the end of 2001, with a total construction area of 20,000 square meters. It was completed and opened to the public in the fourth quarter of 2004. Its main public facilities include a digital universe theater, a 3D dynamic astronomy theater, a 4D dynamic cinema, an astronomy exhibition hall, a solar observation platform, a public observatory, and astronomy classrooms. The universe theater has a capacity of 200 seats and uses imported advanced digital astronomy projection equipment consisting of a large graphics workstation and ADLIP laser projection devices. It vividly presents magnificent starry skies and humanity’s space exploration endeavors. The 3D and 4D dynamic astronomy theaters have capacities of 48 and 196 seats, respectively. These theaters complement and extend the functions of the universe theater, offering audiences a highly immersive and thrilling experience through strong motion effects and special audiovisual combinations. The solar exhibition hall covers an area of 300 square meters and mainly displays content related to the sun and the solar system. Key exhibits include a 1.8-meter white-light projection image of the sun captured by a solar vacuum telescope, a 174mm hand-drawn white-light full-disk image of sunspots, vibrant solar spectrum projections, and CCD television images of the sun’s white light, chromosphere full disk, and localized active regions. The second phase of the new building’s exhibition, themed “Happily Exploring the Mysteries of the Universe,” officially opened to the public on July 6, 2006. This exhibition is divided into 15 zones and features a rich variety of displays. The public observatory houses a 40-centimeter optical reflecting telescope, primarily used to meet the needs of visitors and young students for astronomical observation and educational practice.

With the opening of the new building, the exhibition content and teaching methods of the Beijing Planetarium will be greatly enriched. At the same time, it will contribute to further invigorating the capital’s science and technology culture market, promoting the development of the city’s two socialist civilizations, and enhancing the overall scientific and cultural literacy of its citizens.

Beijing Planetarium

Address: No. 138, Xizhimen Outer Street, Beijing

Postal Code: 100044

Phone: 51583311

Beijing Ancient Observatory

Address: No. 2, Dongbiaobei Hutong, Dongcheng District, Beijing

Postal Code: 100005

Phone: 65242202

Opening Hours

Monday, Tuesday (non-holidays)

Closed

Wednesday to Friday (non-holidays)

9:30–15:30

Saturday, Sunday, and holidays

9:30–16:30

(Holidays refer to winter/summer vacations, Children’s Day,

and national statutory holidays)

Ticket Information

Venue   Ticket Type   Retail Price (RMB/person)   Group Price (RMB/person)

Hall A Planetarium   Regular Ticket   45   40

Discounted Ticket   35   30

Hall B Universe Theater   Regular Ticket   45   40

Discount tickets     35     30

Hall B 4D Theater     Regular ticket     30     25

Discount ticket     20     15

Hall B 3D Theater     Regular ticket     30     25

Discount ticket     20     15

Halls A and B     Regular ticket     10     8

Discount ticket     5     5

Inquiry hotline: 68352453

Ticket inquiries: 010-68312517

Group bookings: 010-88361004

Further reading:

· National first-class museum of China