Nagoya City Science Museum: There is More than the World's Largest Planetarium! 

Planetarium to Enjoy with Curator's Live Commentary
"Brother Earth"

Now it's time to go to "Brother Earth," the planetarium that is the centerpiece of the Nagoya City Science Museum. Upon entering, I was first surprised at the size of the planetarium. As expected, it is certified by the Guinness Book of Records as the world's largest planetarium in terms of inner diameter.

Optical planetarium projector "Universalium IX"

The greatness of the planetarium is not limited to its size.

The optical planetarium projector installed in the dome can show the exact location of approximately 9,100 stars that can be seen with the naked eye. In addition, a digital planetarium projects the starry sky and various images to the entire sky.

By combining optical and digital systems, it is able to reproduce a starry sky that is closer to the real thing.

All seats are reserved seats

There is a secret in the 350 seats!

Each seat is independent and can recline or rotate 30 degrees to the left or right. You can relax and gaze at the starry sky. It is so comfortable that you may even fall asleep.

Curator Mr. Mochida

And the best part is the live commentary by six curators! Each month's theme is different, and each curator is responsible for both projection and commentary. We interviewed them a few questions.

Mr. Mochida:"I try to include as many astronomical phenomena of the day and topics related to astronomy and space as possible. For example, today we will soon be able to observe the International Space Station, so I will talk about that topic. I would be happy if you are interested in the actual starry sky, rather than just watching the planetarium."

We were able to observe the actual program.

The program starts with a recreation of the night sky of the day. The spectacular music and images are as exciting as a concert. The curator's calm tone of voice is pleasantly resonant.

On this day, it was "The Story of Orion". The constellations were introduced according to the story, which made me enjoyably interested in the starry sky. The live commentary is only available that day, so you can enjoy the planetarium no matter how many times you visit!

▼Astronomical information is also available on the website of the Nagoya City Science Museum.