Czech name: Planetárium
Prague sightseeing offers a vast selection of unique attractions that visitors can enjoy. Each one has its own outstanding features, and one of those is the Prague Planetarium in the Royal Park Stromovka. The Planetarium is one of the world’s largest with its high projection dome and integrated digital and opto-mechanical systems that create an illusion of outer space.
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Location & How to Get There
The Planetarium is located in the park Stromovka. The address is Královská obora 233, Prague 7. You can get there by Metro C to Nádraží Holešovice Station. Then you can take a tram number 6, 12 or 17 to Výstaviště Station or walk for 15 minutes. If you want to go by a car, you can park at the parking place Parkoviště Výstaviště Holešovice – at Za Elektrárnou street.
Opening Hours & Entry
As for the ticket prices, regular shows in Czech are between 50-150 CZK for person and shows with English translation between 160-200 CZK for person. The sight is open daily with the exeption of Friday – weekdays from 8:30 am to 6 pm, Saturday from 10:30 am to 8 pm and Sunday from 10:30 am to 6 pm.
What to Do & What to See
The planetarium is a must see for those who like to marvel at a sky full of stars and planets. It is popular amongst children, schools and families. The Prague Planetarium with a projection dome diameter of 23,5 meters is one of the largest planetariums in the world. In the astronomical hall you can find an apparatus which contains 120 projecting bulbs and 230 projectors – the machine can display the sky as it looked in the past and as it will look any time in the future.
How does a planetarium differ from an observatory? At a planetarium, the stars are projected onto the ceiling above the guests. At an observatory, you view the actual sky with a telescope. At a planetarium, you can view the stars at any time of day or night and also learn about the mysteries of planets, outer space, what it’s like on the surface of the Moon or Mars, and so much more.
History
It opened on November 20, 1960. and its dome has a diameter of 23.5 meters and a height of 15 meters. It can accommodate a maximum of 210 audience members. The digital projection area was installed in 2009, was modernized in 2014, has six Sony SRX T-615 projectors which can create an 8K picture, and can boast of having the greatest picture resolution in Europe.
The main theater is the optomechanical Cosmorama. installed in 1991 and is the last still-working device of the type. It was placed on moving arms to hide modern digital projection. The second theater, Starvid is smaller and is equipped with a digital system and 3D graphics that project starry skies, planets, their moons, the Sun, asteroids, and comets onto a specialized wide-angle screen. The 3D graphics are detailed models that can be viewed from all sides and from various distances of outer space. Some of the shows are in English for those who do not understand Czech, so you will be able to learn from the commentaries.
Added to the diverse programs is a permanent astronomy exhibit which includes Moon and Mars driving simulators, a black hole model, planetary weights, and other interactive things to see and try out.