Montreal Planetarium (2013) facts for kids
 |
|
| Lua error in Module:Location_map at line 420: attempt to index field 'wikibase' (a nil value). | |
| Established | 6 April 2013 |
|---|---|
| Location | 4801, avenue de Pierre-de Coubertin Montreal, Quebec H1V 3V4 |
| Type | Planetarium |
| Owner | Space for Life |
| Public transit access |   at Viau Viau station |
| Nearest car park | 3000 Viau Street |
The Montreal Planetarium is an amazing place in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, where you can explore space and learn about the stars! It used to be called the Rio Tinto Alcan Planetarium. You can find it inside the Space for Life museum complex, right next to the Olympic Stadium and the Biodome. This modern planetarium opened in April 2013. It replaced the old Dow Planetarium, which closed in 2011. Inside, it has two special theaters and cool exhibits all about space and astronomy.
Discover the Planetarium!
The planetarium building is very special. It was designed to be super friendly to the environment. It even has a special award called LEED Platinum. This means it was built using materials and methods that help protect our planet.
The building is made of strong aluminum and concrete. It is part of the Space for Life museum group. This group of museums focuses on nature and how we can live in a way that helps the Earth. The planetarium shows this idea through its design.
Inside the planetarium, you will find an exhibition area. There are also two dome theaters. They are named "Chaos" and "Milky Way." These names sound exciting, don't they?
What You Can See and Do
When you visit, you get to choose one of two programs. Then, you watch two different shows, one in each theater. One show teaches you about the science of space and stars. The other show gives you a more artistic look at the universe.
There is also a fun exhibition area. Here, you can see real meteorites! There is also a section called Exo. This area has touchscreens where you can learn about how life began. You can also explore the idea of life on other planets. All the exhibits and shows are available in both French and English.
Awesome Shows to See
One popular show is Aurōrae. It is about the aurora borealis, also known as the Northern Lights. This 40-minute show combines beautiful images of the Northern Lights with music. Planetarium experts also give live talks about how this amazing light show happens.
A team from the planetarium went to Yellowknife in March 2015. They took over 179,000 pictures of the Northern Lights there! Yellowknife is a great place to see them because the sky is very dark. The aurora can be seen there about 240 nights each year.
The planetarium also shows other exciting films. Some of these include Dark Universe from the American Museum of Natural History. Another one is Asteroid: Extreme Mission from National Geographic. Some of these films also have live commentary from the planetarium's science experts.
See also
