On January 24, the original exhibition of the Beijing Planetarium , " The History of Mirror Maps — Early Telescopes and Classical Star Maps of the Golden Age " was launched. More than 20 antique telescopes from the 18th and 19th centuries and exquisite and meticulous European classical star maps lead the audience to relive the history of "mirror maps" and return to the golden age.
The exhibition was planned and developed by the planetarium for nearly two years, and repeatedly polished and launched. The exhibition takes the viewer back to the 17th and early 19th centuries, telling the story of the development of telescopes during this period and their influence on the evolution of star maps. According to the curators, the advent of the telescope has greatly promoted the development of astronomy and even physics in the next 400 years, and has a direct impact on the development of the star map, which is reflected in the increase in the number of stars on the star map, the improvement of position accuracy, the increase in deep space objects, etc.; what complements each other is that the star map also reflects the impact of new technologies and discoveries such as telescopes on starry sky observation.
The antiques of Galileo's study, the hazy light and shadow of Herschel's mirror studio, the taurus that breaks through the walls in a huge painting... Stepping into the exhibition hall, the audience seems to have returned to the "golden age". According to the curators, the exhibition is committed to creating an immersive retro atmosphere, allowing the audience to meet with history and dialogue across time and space.
In the exhibition, more than 20 antique telescopes allow the audience to fully appreciate the wisdom of ancient landscape makers. The telescopes are all in the collection of the planetarium, including floor-standing, desktop-type, handheld refractive and reflecting telescopes, which are complete in style and variety, and after passing through the hands of successive collectors, they shine in the exhibition hall with the fusion of science and art. The exhibition also recreates the classical European star map of the Golden Age in multi-form and multi-dimensional art, and sets up a wealth of interactive experience projects, such as interpreting the giant god of ancient Greece - Atlas, and making telescopes.
With the opening of the winter vacation of the Year of the Tiger, the planetarium has launched a series of activities in a timely manner: the self-produced 4D popular science program "Childhood Solar System" will be screened soon, the curtain of the Spring Festival special activities of "The New Year in the Planetarium" will be opened, and the theme series of activities of the "Cosmic Youth League" will also be held successively; the planetarium will also launch the first "Juxing Cup" Astronomical Cultural and Creative Design Competition in 2022 to guide astronomy enthusiasts to discover the beauty of astronomy and create a creative life.
Source Beijing Daily Client | Reporter Niu Weikun
Edited by Kuang Feng
Process Editor Wu Yue