The Southern Taiwan Science Park Astronomy Museum holds its first New Year's Eve event: stargazing and sunrise viewing without interruption

“Have you decided how to welcome 2018?” During the New Year’s holiday starting on the 30th, the Southern Taiwan Science Park Astronomy Museum in Datun, Tainan, is launching a special themed event titled “When the Eastern Houyi Meets the Western Apollo.” In addition to fun activities such as science DIY projects and astronomy mini-games, there will also be a New Year’s Eve sunrise package on the 31st. This includes nighttime ecology exploration, stargazing, and a countdown to the new year, followed by greeting the first rays of dawn the next morning under the guidance of an astronomy lecturer. Astronomy enthusiasts are welcome to experience a unique way to ring in the New Year.

The Southern Taiwan Science Park Astronomy Museum said that during the three-day holiday, various activities will take place at the Planetarium, Seti Plaza, and the Exhibition Hall. On the third floor of the Planetarium, there will be four free “Auntie Starfeather’s Story Time” sessions daily, focusing on the theme of the sun and linking the Eastern myth of Houyi with the Western legend of Apollo, telling vivid and lively mythological stories. There will also be science-powered car DIY projects, handcrafted scratch art, and a “Magic Sharpshooter” dart mini-game. The highly popular “Japanese Humanoid Robot” workshop will make a return, allowing participants to engage in hands-on robotics courses and experience the unique charm of engaging both mind and hands.

The newly launched New Year’s Day sunrise welcoming activity will begin at 8 p.m. on the 31st. Led by museum staff, the event will start with stargazing and exploring the local ecology around the museum. Participants will spend the night at the museum and then watch the sunrise at 5 a.m. the next day. Thanks to the museum’s location free from light pollution, visitors can expect a truly unique experience. Only one session with 40 spots is available, so sign up soon.

To celebrate the New Year, during the New Year’s holiday, the museum is also offering a buy-one-get-one-free promotion on full-price tickets for two morning movie screenings. The new 3D film “Einstein’s Magic of Time and Space” has recently been released, taking audiences into a magical world of gravity.