The Shanghai Astronomical Museum attracts visitors with its new look after completing its two-year overhaul. [Photo/WeChat ID: sh_songjiang]
Shanghai Astronomical Museum started its trial operation on March 20 after a two-year major overhaul of its century-old Sheshan Observatory and attracted hordes of visitors on the first weekend following its reopening.
One of the key highlights of the museum's collections is a binocular telescope with 40-centimeter refracting lenses. Built in 1900, it is China's earliest large astronomical telescope and remains one of the country's largest refracting telescopes.
After the overhaul, the telescope has restored its observational capability and space enthusiasts will have the opportunity to look at the vast sky with this century-old piece of equipment.
The Sheshan Observatory, which was erected in 1900 for this telescope, is China's first astronomical observatory dedicated solely to astronomical observation. As a result, it has witnessed China's modern astronomical development.
"We have opened exhibition halls, such as the Centennial Observatory, Meridian Sphere, Octagonal Ring Gallery, Astrograph Room, and Large Telescope Room, hoping to provide more citizens and astronomy enthusiasts opportunities to understand the whole process of the development of astronomical science in Shanghai," said Tang Haiming, head of the Sheshan Science Education Base of the Shanghai Astronomical Observatory.
Since its reopening, the museum has attracted many families with children and astronomy enthusiasts. "It's startling! There are telescopes, constellation graphs, and many astronomical photos, especially instruments for observing celestial objects, which are amazing and have taught me a lot of new things," said Zhang Lingzhi, one of the visitors.
The Shanghai Astronomical Museum has a century-old astronomical library, thousands of astronomical negatives, and precious historical artifacts, such as the Palan meridian instrument.
Its "Centennial Observatory" exhibition area shows the development of modern astronomy in China with rich cultural relics and historical materials. Its "Focusing Telescope" exhibition area showcases the development of astronomy since the invention of the astronomical telescope 400 years ago. Its "Astron Classroom" is equipped with multimedia equipment to carry out various popular science reports, salons, and academic exchange activities.
In addition to the historical exhibition, the museum also has a unique "Starry Sky Tour" interactive dome-screen cinema where visitors can explore the mysteries of the universe.
There is also a solar observation center and a public observatory, equipped with a 35-cm astronomical telescope, which can present real-time images of the sun during the day, as well as allow visitors to zoom in on the moon and other planets at night.
The Shanghai Astronomical Museum is located at the Peak of West Sheshan Mountain in Shanghai Sheshan National Forest Park in Shanghai's Songjiang district. It was founded in 2004 based on the Sheshan Observatory by the Chinese Academy of Sciences' Shanghai Astronomical Observatory.
Located on the hillisde, the Sheshan Observatory is China's first modern observatory with a planetarium dome and a large astronomical telescope. It is one of the country's most important birthplaces of modern astronomy. The observatory overhaul took place in March 2021.
The museum has both historical exhibition and scientific education functions. It is a national base for astronomy education and an important cultural relics preservation unit.
As the main base for the Shanghai Astronomical Observatory to carry out science popularization, the museum often organizes various astronomical science popularization activities, including astronomical observation activities when important astronomical phenomena occur.
The century-old binocular telescope, the centerpiece of the Shanghai Astronomical Museum, attracts visitors after the museum's overhaul. [Photo/WeChat ID: sh_songjiang]
Tourists visit the Shanghai Astronomical Museum. [Photo/WeChat ID: sh_songjiang]
