Sir Thomas Brisbane Planetarium facts for kids
The Sir Thomas Brisbane Planetarium is a super cool place where you can explore the wonders of space! It's located inside the beautiful Brisbane Botanic Gardens in Mount Coot-tha, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. This amazing Planetarium first opened its doors on May 24, 1978.
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| Established | 1978 |
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| Location | Brisbane Botanic Gardens, Mount Coot-tha, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia |
| Type | Planetarium |
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Discover the Sir Thomas Brisbane Planetarium
A Planetarium is a special theatre that shows you what the night sky looks like. It can show stars, planets, and other amazing things in space. The Sir Thomas Brisbane Planetarium is managed by the Brisbane City Council. It's about 5 kilometers (3 miles) from the center of Brisbane.
Who was Sir Thomas Brisbane?
The Planetarium is named after Sir Thomas Brisbane. He was a very important person in Australia's history. He was the governor of the colony of New South Wales from 1821 to 1825.
Sir Thomas Brisbane was also a famous Scottish astronomer. An astronomer is a scientist who studies stars, planets, and space. He built Australia's first big observatory in 1822. This observatory helped map the stars in the southern sky.
Explore the Cosmic Skydome and Exhibits
The main part of the Planetarium is the Cosmic Skydome. This is a huge, round theatre with a dome-shaped ceiling. It's 12.5 meters (about 41 feet) wide and can seat 130 people. Here, you can watch incredible shows about space.
In the Planetarium's Foyer and Gallery, you'll find lots of cool displays. You can see things about space exploration and astronomy. There's a replica of Neil Armstrong's space suit from the 1969 Apollo 11 Moon landing. You can also see a small model of the huge Saturn V rocket.
The exhibits also include real meteorites. These are pieces of rock from space that have fallen to Earth. You'll also find many models of spacecraft, rockets, and special tools used to study space.
In 2018, a new exhibit called "Skylore" was added. This special display teaches you about Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander astronomy. It shares how these First Nations people have understood and used the stars for thousands of years. This exhibit features Elders sharing their star knowledge.
See the Stars Up Close: The Observatory
The Planetarium also has an observatory. This is a building with powerful telescopes inside. One telescope is a Zeiss 15 cm refractor. Another is a Meade 25.4 cm "Go To" Schmidt-Cassegrain telescope.
You can use these telescopes during special observing sessions. They let you see planets, moons, and other objects in the night sky up close.
There's also a mini-theatre at the Planetarium. It often shows videos from the Space Telescope Science Institute. These videos are updated regularly, so there's always something new to see.
Visiting the Planetarium
The Planetarium is a very popular place! In one year (2017/2018), more than 155,000 people visited. Almost 80,000 of them watched shows in the Cosmic Skydome.
A big upgrade to the Planetarium was finished in June 2019. They installed a new digital projection system. This makes the shows in the Cosmic Skydome even more amazing!
You can explore the display areas and the mini-theatre for free. However, there is a small fee to watch shows in the Cosmic Skydome. There is also a charge to use the observatory.
The Planetarium is usually closed on Mondays. It also closes for about two weeks after the December/January school holidays for maintenance.
Outdoor Adventures at the Planetarium
Outside the Planetarium, there are more interesting things to see. You'll find a statue of Konstantin Tsiolkovsky. He is known as the "Father of Cosmonautics" because of his ideas about space travel.
There's also a large sundial in the Sundial Courtyard. A sundial tells the time by using the shadow of the sun. It's a fun way to see how people told time long ago!
