To mark National Women’s Month, the National Planetarium at Rizal Park is offering free full-dome shows to all women visitors tomorrow, AKA International Women’s Day.
The National Museum of the Philippines made the announcement on its official social media accounts today, writing that the free shows are for “women, including transgender women” throughout Friday, March 8.
The planetarium’s hybrid projection system, installed in 2017, enables the facility to produce shows that are both visually mesmerizing and educational, with wonderfully realistic, sweeping scenic views of the night sky.
The shows available for viewing tomorrow are “A Planet for Goldilocks” and “Hayabusa Back to the Earth,” which are scheduled throughout the day from 10:30am to 4pm. The planetarium’s management says visitors have to be at the venue 30 minutes before the start of each 45-minute show.
“A Planet for Goldilocks” covers how scientists were able to discover thousands of planets orbiting sun-like stars, where liquid water might exist — which, in theory, would make a planet habitable by living organisms. The story explores humankind’s search for a planet with conditions that could be “just right,” just like in the classic tale of Goldilocks.
“Hayabusa Back to the Earth,” on the other hand, tells the tale of the Japanese spacecraft Hayabusa, which brought back a sample of asteroid material back to Earth in 2010.
In addition to these dome shows, the National Planetarium’s gallery currently has a new exhibition on ethnoastronomy and space science, which is displayed around the theater. This layout means that guests can view the exhibit for free while waiting their turn to enter the dome. In case you’re not familiar with the term “ethnoastronomy” — it’s a branch of astronomy involved with the astronomical beliefs and practices of specific cultures. The more you know!
If you’re planning to bring kids, then note that the full-dome shows are only for children 4 years old and up, while children of all ages can view the exhibition at the gallery.
Even if you’re not able to make it to the planetarium tomorrow, it’s certainly worth a visit — the shows are relatively cheap, too, at only PHP30/US$0.58 per student ticket, and PHP50 (US$0.96) for a regular adult ticket.
FIND IT:
The National Planetarium is located at Padre Burgos Avenue, Ermita, Manila
Operating Hours: Tuesday to Sunday; 10am-5pm
Contact: (02) 5277889; nmplanetarium1975@gmail.com
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