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Around the Universe @ Planetarium Sultan Iskandar Kuching, Sarawak

This planetarium play a 30-minute cosmic show. It explains about the Solar System, the Milky Way, some ET legend, and Zodiac Sign. I always wanted to watch the show, the entrance fees for adult is just RM2. The show starts at 3pm and I was there at 2:30pm, so there is still time to capture some photos. The Planetarium has a spheres shape rooftop.

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From my imagination, a planetarium suppose to be like the spheres rooftop can be slip into half and open, then a huge telescope in the center of the spheres. But in reality, I am totally wrong. Inside the planetarium, it has a special projector in the middle, and then chairs surrounding the projector. The spheres rooftop is the screen. When the show starts, all the lights will be switch off. Then the spheres rooftop is projected with all kinds of image, it is a 360 degree screen. One of my favorite scenes is when it projects the stars, with soft background music. This feeling is like bring girlfriend to the beach, lie down on the beach and watch the stars.

The first Malaysian astronaut had just flew into space yesterday, this news was at the front cover of all the papers this few days. The Universe, is it really have no limit?

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Inside the planetarium, at the middle of the planetarium there is a screen projector, a very special one. It is use to project the image on the spheres rooftop.

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The control panel, which control the lighting, sound, and the projector.

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A Carl Zeiss West Germany projector, it is painted with my favorite color.

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The screen is 360 degree, so I have to turn my head from one side to another to see the shooting star

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This is the starting scene, it project a city image 360 degree, and then the moon coming out from one side to another.

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after 30 minutes the show ends.

Comments

Anonymous said…
Kind of amazing how big the universe really is...so big we cannot imagine it.
Anonymous said…
Hello Wilson,

I remember visiting the planetarium and watching the show when I was a young boy back in the 1990s when the Dewan Suarah was new.

I think most Kuching-ites don't realize how lucky they are to have a planetarium - and entry fees are still very reasonable as you mentioned.

It's a shame though that the Dewan Suarah tower, planetarium and library (is that still there?) seem to be quite poorly maintained - the roof of the planetarium seems to be quite discoloured from the outside.

I forgot that it's quite a nice place to bring people from out of town, especially if they've never been in a planetarium.

It would be great to meet up for that coffee when I'm back in Kuching, although I probably won't be back for a couple of years!
Wilson Chin said…
anonymous friend -
ya, my dream when I was a small boy is to build a spaceship, fly to the universe, explore and see if its really has no limits.

johari -
The library had close down, and now is a gym. most of the place are poorly maintained, which is a waste.
The view on top of the civic center is beautiful, and we can have our coffee at the civic center Malay canteen :) see ya

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