Free Astronomy Magazine July-August 2018

41 JULY-AUGUST 2018 PLANETARIUMS ence through the use of state-of-the-art visualisation techniques. The planetarium screens many different shows and other cultural events. Visitors can pick from dif- ferent planetarium shows, ranging from the award-winning The Secrets of Gravity animated film about Albert Einstein’s dis- coveries to the giant-screen documentary adventure Hidden Universe . For school classes, the ESO Supernova also offers specially designed planetarium shows — such as A Tour of the Solar System and The Skies Above Us — and workshops specially tailored to the curriculum. The programme for visitor groups is aimed at chil- dren in kindergarten, primary school and all secondary schools. For teachers, the ESO Supernova offers special teacher training. The ESO Supernova also hosts an interactive as- tronomical exhibition where visitors can ex- plore and examine real astronomical artefacts and conduct experi- ments to get an idea of what it means to be an astronomer, to work in science, and to discover the mysteries of the Universe. The first per- manent exhibition is The Living Universe , which covers the broad topic of life in the Universe. Highlights include: a 40-meter image of the night sky (ar- guably the largest in the world), a me- teorite and a mirror segment from the future Extremely Large Telescope that visitors can touch, a hands-on station where visi- tors can build their own telescope and ath- letic visitors can even take a ride on a bicycle that travels at the speed of light! The exhibition can be experienced inde- pendently or as part of a guided tour. The seminar rooms on the top floor house space for lectures, workshops and confer- ences, while The Void on the ground floor is a central area with a unique and beauti- ful star-roof. The ESO Supernova is open each week between 9:00 and 17:00, Wednesdays to Fridays, and between 12:00 and 17:00 on Saturdays and Sundays. Free tickets can be T his trailer presents the ESO Supernova Planetarium & Visi- tor Centre, a new cutting-edge as- tronomy centre for the public. The ESO Supernova — which is free to enter — has the largest tilted planetarium in Germany, Austria and Switzerland and a cap- tivating 2200 m 2 interactive astro- nomical exhibition. More infor- mation about the ESO Supernova Planetarium and Visitor Centre can be found online. [ESO. Images and footage: ESO/P. Horálek, Architek- ten Bernhardt + Partner (www.bp - da.de ). Music: Johan B. Monell (www.johanmonell.com )] T his picture shows the ribbon being cut in front of the entrance to the centre by Beate Spiegel, Managing Director of the Klaus Tschira Stiftung, and ESO's Director General, Xavier Barcons. From left to right those present are Gesa Schönberger, Managing Director of HITS, Tania Johnston, ESO Supernova Coordinator, Beate Spiegel, Xavier Barcons and Axel Müller, from the architects Bernhardt + Partner. [ESO/H. Zodet]