The Space Museum in Hong Kong is located in Tsim Sha Tsui. The main attraction is the planetarium with a projection dome over 20m wide. It is the first planetarium in Asia to install OMNIMAX projector for its spectacular shows.
The Space Museum in Hong Kong is located in Tsim Sha Tsui and focuses on astronomy and space science.
As early as 1961, the idea of building a planetarium in Hong Kong was born by the city council. Ten years later, a working group began to gather international experience on the subject. In 1974, the decision was made to build what is now the Space Museum, and the German company Carl Zeiss was commissioned to do so. Construction began in 1977 and the opening took place just three years later.
The Space Museum is managed by the Leisure and Culture Service Department of the Hong Kong Government. It is divided into a west and east wing. The East Wing of the Space Museum houses its centrepiece, the Planetarium, whose semi-circular shape is also clearly visible from the outside. The planetarium's giant white egg covers an area of 8,000m2 and has become a prominent feature of Hong Kong.
In addition to the planetarium, the Stanley Ho Space Theatre, the Hall of Space Science and the offices are located in the east wing. The west wing houses additional offices, the Hall of Astronomy, the auditorium and a small souvenir shop.
Visit to the Space Museum in Hong Kong
The two exhibition halls on space science and astronomy are located on the ground floor and the first floor. In the Hall of Space Science, visitors are introduced to the history of astronomy and man's conquest of space.
Some examples of earlier rockets are also on display. In a simulator, you can perform the launch of a rocket yourself, walk half weightlessly on the moon or spin through airless space in a prepared chair.
In the Hall of Astronomy, everything revolves around the universe. The stars and our solar system are vividly displayed and the complex mysteries of space are made understandable through electronic technologies.
The exhibits presented are mostly interactive and invite visitors to learn something about space and space travel themselves through entertaining experiments.
The planetarium was the first in the world to be fully automatically controlled and the first in the Eastern Hemisphere with an OMNIMAX projector. The screen dome has a diameter of over 20 metres and can display up to 8,000 stars.
The two spectacular OMNIMAX films shown in the Planetarium of the Space Museum change every year. The shows impress with their clarity and stirring effects. Using headphones, visitors can be transported into the world of the stars in the language of their choice. There is a choice of English, Cantonese, Mandarin and Japanese.
Especially for children, the Space Museum is educational, interesting and entertaining at the same time.
Tip: A museum pass entitles the holder to visit 6 museums within one week: Museum of History, Science Museum, Space Museum, Museum of Art, Museum of Coastal Defence and the Heritage Museum.
Related links:
Official site of the Space Museum in Hong Kong
Info about the museum pass
