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The Stanley Ho Space Theatre in the Hong Kong Space Museum will re-open on March 2 (Wednesday) and will also launch new shows, namely the Sky Show "Decoding Starlight" and the Omnimax show "Robots". The museum's Lecture Hall will also resume operation on the same day.
"Decoding Starlight" and "Robots" unravel the mysteries of stars and robots respectively. Brief introductions are as follows:
Sky Show "Decoding Starlight"
Since ancient times, humanity has been fascinated by the starry sky. People grouped stars into constellations and associated them with mythological figures or daily objects. However, the ancients knew nothing more than these interesting stories about the stars. How far away are stars? What, in fact, are stars? These had long been unsolved questions.
Thanks to more powerful telescopes and advancements in physics, humanity now has a better grasp of the distances to stars and the meaning of stellar spectra. It turns out that a spectrum contains the important information of a star, such as its mass, surface temperature and chemical composition. Spectra even reveal the distances of faraway galaxies, allowing us to have a glimpse of the vastness of the observable universe. Although astronomers cannot reach for the stars, they are familiar with them.
What more can starlight reveal about the mysteries of the universe? "Decoding Starlight" leads the audience to follow astronomers' footsteps to unlock the secrets of the stars.
The 30-minute show will be screened daily at 3.50pm and 7.20pm at the Stanley Ho Space Theatre between March 2 and October 31. An additional show will be screened at 12.20pm on Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays. This is the second time that the Space Museum has produced a full-dome Sky Show, to be displayed using the digital planetarium projection system.
Omnimax show "Robots"
Our passion for robots dates back to ancient Greece, but the basic idea behind the creation of robots - getting machines to do work for us - has not changed much over time. What has changed is the technology that makes them move, look and behave more and more lifelike.
Humanoids and androids are two types of robots that resemble humans. Humanoids are robots that imitate our general shape and movements. ASIMO is one of the first humanoids that can run and even change its landing position in the middle of its jump. As for androids, they are designed to look like humans, from facial features and body parts to behaviour. Geminoid DK is an android modelled on one of its co-founders, Professor Henrik Scharfe of Aalborg University in Denmark. It is so real that it can actually be mistaken for the professor himself.
In the show, a robot named RoboThespian will introduce the audience to the fascinating world of robots. From the first space robot handyman to robot butlers and from eerily human-looking androids to search-and-rescue robots, the film showcases the latest cutting-edge technology and new breakthroughs in robotics.
The 39-minute show will be screened daily at 1.30pm, 5pm and 8.30pm at the Stanley Ho Space Theatre between March 2 and August 31.
In addition, the 3D Dome Show "To Space & Back 3D", which was launched in July last year, will continue to be screened from March 2 to June 30.
Tickets for the three shows, priced at $24 (front stalls) and $32 (stalls), are now available at URBTIX and will also be available at the Hong Kong Space Museum Box Office from March 2.
The Hong Kong Space Museum is closed on Tuesdays (except public holidays). The museum's two Exhibition Halls are still closed for renovation work and the replacement of exhibits, and are expected to re-open at the end of 2016.
For detailed information, please visit hk.space.museum or call 2721 0226.
Ends/Monday, February 29, 2016
Issued at HKT 15:01
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