Hong Kong Space Museum

Hong Kong Space Museum

The Hong Kong Space Museum serves as a patriotic education base.

Highlights

Sky shows take you on an exploration of the mysterious universe, and the egg-shaped Space Museum is a landmark of Hong Kong.

Introduction

Located at 10 Salisbury Road, Tsim Sha Tsui, Kowloon. Adjacent to the Hong Kong Museum of Art. Opened in October 1980, it is a museum dedicated to promoting astronomy and space science knowledge in Hong Kong, and also one of the most advanced space science museums in the world. The Space Museum's uniquely designed egg-shaped exterior has long been a landmark of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region. The egg-shaped building features a hemispherical screen. The star projector that displays the images is the most advanced instrument in Asia, creating visuals that convey the profound depth of the universe. The museum is divided into east and west wings. The egg-shaped east wing is the core of the Space Museum, housing the Planetarium, Space Science Exhibition Hall, FullDome Theatre, various production workshops, and offices; the west wing includes an Astronomy Exhibition Hall, Lecture Theatre, Space Bookstore, and offices. Each venue features exhibits related to space science. The Planetarium The Planetarium of the Hong Kong Space Museum is located within the egg-shaped building and is one of the most important sections of the museum. It is one of the largest planetariums in the world, the first in the Eastern Hemisphere to feature a FullDome Theatre system, and the first astronomical museum in the world equipped with a fully automatic sky show control system. It was named the Stanley Ho Space Theatre in 2004. The theatre is equipped with a 23-meter-diameter hemispherical screen and regularly updates its full-dome films and sky shows daily. Every year, the Hong Kong Space Museum also produces two multimedia sky shows and selects outstanding full-dome films from abroad to screen in the museum. Most programs are narrated in Cantonese, with some screenings offered in English. Visitors can use headphones inside the Planetarium to select narration in Cantonese, English, Mandarin, or Japanese. Background In 1957, when the Soviet Union launched the first artificial satellite, it sparked considerable interest in astronomy among many people in Hong Kong. The Hong Kong government had proposed building an observatory in Victoria Park in 1961, but the plan was eventually shelved. It wasn’t until 1974 that the observatory project was revived by the Urban Council, with the site chosen near the waterfront by the former Tsim Sha Tsui Railway Station, at a cost of HK$60 million. Because Hong Kong’s meteorological department, the Hong Kong Observatory, was already using the term "astronomy," to avoid confusion, the facility was ultimately named the Hong Kong Space Museum.

Opened in 1980, the Hong Kong Space Museum became the world’s first computerized planetarium. The computerized star projector in the museum’s Planetarium uses optical principles to simulate the actual starry sky, projecting stars billions of light-years away onto the hemispherical screen of the Planetarium. In 2004, in recognition of a HK$20 million donation from Stanley Ho, the Planetarium was named the Stanley Ho Space Theatre as a token of gratitude.

Transportation

1. Exit at E from Tsim Sha Tsui Station on the Tsuen Wan Line of the MTR, walk along Salisbury Road, turn right, and then use the pedestrian tunnel next to the YMCA of Hong Kong to reach the Hong Kong Space Museum.

2. Take the Star Ferry from Central or Wan Chai to Tsim Sha Tsui, and walk for about 10 minutes.

Hong Kong, Hong Kong