The Milan Planetarium (in Italian, Planetario di Milano) is the largest and most important
planetarium
A planetarium ( planetariums or ''planetaria'') is a theatre built primarily for presenting educational and entertaining shows about astronomy and the night sky, or for training in celestial navigation.
A dominant feature of most planetariu ...
in
Italy. It is located in the
Gardens of Porta Venezia, in the
Porta Venezia district of
Milan
Milan ( , , Lombard: ; it, Milano ) is a city in northern Italy, capital of Lombardy, and the second-most populous city proper in Italy after Rome. The city proper has a population of about 1.4 million, while its metropolitan city has ...
. It was established in 1930, and has been in operation since then.
The Planetarium building was inaugurated on May 20, 1930. It was designed by architect Piero Portaluppi for Ulrico Hoepli, who donated it to Milan. It has an octagonal base and it is 19.6 meters in diameter, with an overall capacity of 300 seats. The dome-shaped screen is decorated with the silhouette of the Milan skyline as it was in 1930 (for example, without the
Pirelli Tower).
The scene is created by a Zeiss IV star projector, which has been in use since 1968.
The Planetarium has about 100,000 visitors a year. It also serves as the headquarters of the Circolo Astrofili di Milano, the oldest and most important
amateur astronomy
Amateur astronomy is a hobby where participants enjoy observing or imaging celestial objects in the sky using the unaided eye, binoculars, or telescopes. Even though scientific research may not be their primary goal, some amateur astronomers ...
club in Milan.
External links
Official site
{{Authority control
Buildings and structures in Milan
Planetaria in Italy
Tourist attractions in Milan
Education in Milan