The St. Petersburg planetarium was opened in 1959, a place for it was chosen an old building, formerly called the “Building with a hall for entertainment and readings”, it was part of the People’s House, built under Emperor Nicholas II. It is a historical and cultural heritage. The planetarium hosts lectures on astronomy, physics, history and other sciences.
Planetarium Halls
The Petersburg Planetarium is a four-story building, at each level, visitors are waiting for discoveries, knowledge and amazing stories with large-scale illustrations.
The Observatory Hall is located on the fourth floor. During the classes, it is possible to examine the nearest Earth satellite - the Moon - or more distant planets, stars, through telescopes, to look at the Sun without squinting. Lectures are given here, observations are made of astronomical phenomena, sunsets and sunrises over the roofs of the city.
The "Star Hall" accommodates 500 people for whom images of the starry sky, planets and other celestial bodies are shown on the dome using a projection apparatus. The equipment of the hall is multifunctional and capable of simulating a lunar or solar eclipse, the movement of the heavenly vault throughout the day, the annual cycle of motion of the planets of the solar system. For visitors there is a unique opportunity to look at the night starry sky from any part of the Earth.
Hall "Planet". The hall is arranged in the form of a circular panorama, thanks to this effect, the visitor makes a trip to the bottom of the ocean, to the Arctic, observes a volcanic eruption and witnesses earthquakes. The youngest guests go in search of star birds, during which they fall on the red planet - Mars.
Interactive experiments
Science is based on knowledge, experience and experimentation. The St. Petersburg planetarium has created several laboratories where children and adults can conduct experiments and get acquainted with phenomena experimentally.
The space travel hall. The Petersburg planetarium created a spaceship in this hall and sends everyone on a virtual journey. The ship’s team is led by an experienced captain, he will save the liner more than once from a collision with asteroids, skillfully lay down, will entice visitors with explorations of black holes and other cosmic phenomena.
The hall "Laboratory of entertaining experiments" helps visitors to familiarize themselves with the laws of physics, optics, electricity, using examples confirmed experimentally. The exposition presents more than two hundred experiments. Here is the Foucault pendulum, proving the rotation of our planet. Several telescopes are installed in the laboratory, through the eyepiece of which the Moon, stars, the Milky Way and other objects of space are closely visible.
"Hall of entertaining illusions." The hall presents an exposition telling about optical optical illusions, classes are held where each participant creates and destroys the illusion, becoming like an oriental genie.
Exhibitions
The St. Petersburg planetarium on the second floor posted a permanent photo exhibition. One of the highlights is its circular exposure. Photographic works are devoted to the macrocosm of the Universe and the microcosm of familiar things, animals and insects.
The poster is full of events that the Petersburg planetarium offers the public. The dinosaur exhibition will surprise children and delight adults. A flock of dinosaurs meets visitors immediately near the entrance, and as you go further through the thickets of prehistoric plants, you can meet giants that can move and make sounds. The exhibition "Dinosaur Planet" pursues not only a visual representation of huge animals, but also educational goals - you can find out a lot of interesting facts about each exhibit, which are written in the accompanying information located next to the figure of the animal.
Not only knowledge is shared by the St. Petersburg planetarium. Exhibitions and educational programs are supported by creative workshops for the smallest. A child under the supervision of a teacher learns modeling, drawing and other crafts. The mastery corner is located in one of the halls of the exhibition, next to the dinosaurs.
Services
The St. Petersburg planetarium offers to bring romance to life and arrange a date under the dome of the southern (or any other) sky in the very heart of the Galaxy, but at the same time remaining on Earth. And if the date of the first meeting is known, then the guides will make a map of the planets that day, the connection of the constellations. In honor of the couple on this day, all the famous constellations will be lit under the dome.
St. Petersburg Planetarium invites you to celebrate a birthday in the company of friends and between planets. The holiday consists of three parts, in the first birthday, guests are told about its planet and constellation, the zodiac sign, they will design a map of the starry sky at the time of birth. And most importantly, countless desires can be made, and they are guaranteed to come true, because the stars on this day will fall only by the will of the birthday person.
Gallery and mobile planetarium
One of the creative spaces called the RatsioArt Gallery has the St. Petersburg Planetarium. An atmosphere has been created in the exhibition hall that promotes the exchange of knowledge, opinions, new ideas and concepts are born. Lectures are given in the hall, presentations are made, seminars, round tables are assembled, and contemporary art events are held. This platform is designed for curious and thirsty knowledge.
You can discover the world not only within the walls of an institution; the Petersburg Planetarium is a modern space where many incredible things become real. For example, a mobile planetarium can hold lectures, organize screenings of astronomical films at a school, student audience or at an outdoor event. The mobile structure, in which the diameter of the dome is 6 meters and the height is 4.2 meters, accommodates 30 seats.
Service
St. Petersburg planetarium invites you to visit a souvenir shop, which presents an assortment of "space" accessories, books about space and astronomy, the history of the development of space exploration of the Universe and much more. On the left side of the main entrance is a pneumatic shooting range, where shooting is carried out on matches.
The St. Petersburg Planetarium has a cozy cafe on the ground floor, where it is worth a break from the process of learning. The main audience of the institution are children, and they have a menu designed for drinks, cakes, and for adults tea and coffee.
Reviews
The list of obligatory visits for schoolchildren, tourists and inquisitives includes the St. Petersburg Planetarium. Reviews with positive ratings talk about a rich poster and interesting films for a children's audience. It is noted that during the days of school holidays, much more events are held, and this attracts a large number of families, because here adults and children can plunge not only into astronomical subjects, but also into other scientific experiments.
Negative reviews tell about the obsolescence of training programs, equipment, and the lack of service available at the St. Petersburg planetarium. St. Petersburg boasts more modern traditions in organizing events. Many felt that in cinemas the programs are more spectacular and informative than in the planetarium. It is noted that there is no place to leave outerwear in the room, there is no online service for ordering and paying for tickets for a lecture or film of interest.
