Montreal Planetarium (2013) facts for kids
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| Established | 6 April 2013 |
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| Location | 4801 Pierre-de Coubertin Avenue Montreal, Quebec, Canada H1V 3V4 |
| Type | Planetarium |
| Owner | Space for Life |
| Public transit access |   at Viau Viau station |
| Nearest car park | 3000 Viau Street |
The Rio Tinto Alcan Planetarium is a super cool place in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, where you can explore space and learn about the universe! It's part of a big science complex called Space for Life, located right next to the Olympic Stadium and the Biodome. This modern planetarium has two special theaters and lots of exhibits about space and stars. It first opened its doors in April 2013.
The building itself is very special. It was designed to be super eco-friendly and has a top-level "LEED Platinum" certification. This means it was built using materials and methods that are good for the environment.
Contents
A Look Back: The Planetarium's History
The Rio Tinto Alcan Planetarium is actually the newer version of an older planetarium in Montreal. The first one was called the Dow Planetarium. It welcomed visitors from 1966 until 2011. The new planetarium continues its mission to teach people about the wonders of space.
Exploring the Rio Tinto Alcan Planetarium
This amazing planetarium is a key part of the Space for Life museum complex. This group of museums focuses on nature and science. Being kind to our planet is a big goal for Space for Life. You can see this in the planetarium's design, which is very sustainable.
The building is made from strong materials like aluminum and concrete. Inside, you'll find a large area for exhibits. There are also two unique dome theaters. They are named "Chaos" and "Milky Way."
When you visit, you get to choose one of two main programs. Each program lets you see two different shows, one in each theater. One show teaches you about the science of astronomy. The other show offers a more artistic and creative look at space.
What You Can See and Do
Beyond the shows, there's an exciting exhibition area. Here, you can see real meteorites, which are rocks from space! There's also a special area called Exo. In Exo, you can use touchscreens to learn about how life began. You can also explore the exciting idea of whether life might exist on other planets. All the exhibits and shows are available in both French and English.
Amazing Shows to Watch
One popular show is a 40-minute presentation called Aurōrae. It's all about the aurora borealis, also known as the Northern Lights! This show combines beautiful images of the Northern Lights with music. A science expert from the planetarium gives live commentary. They explain how this amazing natural light show happens. To create this show, a team from the planetarium took over 179,000 pictures in Yellowknife, Canada. Yellowknife is a great place to see the aurora because the sky is very dark there.
The planetarium also shows other exciting films. Some of these include Dark Universe from the American Museum of Natural History. Another popular film is Asteroid: Extreme Mission from National Geographic. Some of these films also have live commentary from the planetarium's experts.
See also
