The Science Centre Singapore, previously known as Singapore Science Centre is a scientific institution in

Jurong East Jurong East is a planning area and residential town situated in the West Region of Singapore. It borders Jurong West and Boon Lay to the west, Clementi to the east, Tengah and Bukit Batok to the north and Selat Jurong to the south. First ...

, Singapore, specialising in the promotion of scientific and technological education for the general public. It houses over 850 exhibits over eight exhibition galleries and receives over a million visitors every year. In 2003, it celebrated its silver jubilee.

History

Evening aerial view of the Singapore Science Centre - 20050926

The Science Centre was carved out of the

National Museum of Singapore ms, Muzium Negara Singapura ta, சிங்கப்பூரின் தேசிய அருங்காட்சியகம் , native_name_lang = , logo = , image = 2016 Singapur, Museum Planning Area, Narodowe Muzeum Singapuru (02) ...

as a separate institution so that the latter could focus on its artistic and historical collections. This idea was first mooted in 1969 by the former Science Council of Singapore, now known as the

Agency for Science, Technology and Research The Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR) is a statutory board under the Ministry of Trade and Industry of Singapore. The agency supports R&D that is aligned to areas of competitive advantage and national needs for Singapore ...

(A*Star), and was approved by the

government A government is the system or group of people governing an organized community, generally a state. In the case of its broad associative definition, government normally consists of legislature, executive, and judiciary. Government i ...

. The SCS building's design was decided by an architectural competition organised by the Science Centre Board, in which Raymond Woo architects' entry was selected. Built at a cost of S$12 million on a site in

, it was officially opened on 10 December 1977 by Dr.

Toh Chin Chye Toh Chin Chye ( zh, s=杜进才, p=Dù Jìncái; 10 December 1921 – 3 February 2012) was a Singaporean politician who served as Deputy Prime Minister of Singapore between 1959 and 1968. Toh is widely recognised as one of the founding fa ...

, the Minister-in-charge of the centre. In 1987, the centre saw a significant expansion with the opening of Singapore's first and only OMNIMAX theatre, the Omni-Theatre. Costing $18 million, it has a 276-seat theatre underneath a tilted dome. In 1999, a $38 million renovation expanded the centre's exhibition space with larger open areas, a direct connection to the separate Omni-Theatre building, as well as a new entrance. In 2000,

Snow City Snow City is Singapore's first indoor snow centre located within the Science Centre Singapore area beside the Omni-Theatre in Jurong East. Background The 3,000 sq-metre centre Snow City was built at the cost of S$6 million and was officially ...

, a recreation of a environment in tropical Singapore, was set up beside the Omni-Theatre. On 7 December 2007, in its 30th anniversary year, the centre rebranded itself as the Science Centre Singapore (SCS).

Observatory

Location

The Science Centre Observatory is situated at above mean sea level and is one of the few observatories in the world located next to the

equator The equator is a circle of latitude, about in circumference, that divides Earth into the Northern and Southern hemispheres. It is an imaginary line located at 0 degrees latitude, halfway between the North and South poles. The term can also ...

. Its unique position allows constellations in both the northern and southern celestial hemispheres to be observed.

Telescope

The main telescope of the Observatory is a

Cassegrain reflector The Cassegrain reflector is a combination of a primary concave mirror and a secondary convex mirror, often used in optical telescopes and radio antennas, the main characteristic being that the optical path folds back onto itself, relative to t ...

of a combined

focal length The focal length of an optical system is a measure of how strongly the system converges or diverges light; it is the inverse of the system's optical power. A positive focal length indicates that a system converges light, while a negative foc ...

of . The sub-telescope is a apochromatic Kepler refractor with a focal length of . The

equatorial mount An equatorial mount is a mount for instruments that compensates for Earth's rotation by having one rotational axis, the polar axis, parallel to the Earth's axis of rotation. This type of mount is used for astronomical telescopes and cameras. The ...

for the telescopes was designed for Singapore's unique location; the accompanying English yoke provides the stability needed for the drive and tracking mechanisms. The stainless steel dome can be made to swivel in any direction and its shutter can be made to slide open for the telescope to be focused on to interesting objects in the sky.

Stargazing sessions

The Observatory has been open to the public for stargazing sessions every Friday night since June 2006. The opening hours are from 7:50 to 10:00 pm. The Observatory can comfortably accommodate 50 visitors per session. It is important to note that stargazing through the observatory telescope is only possible when the sky is clear. However, regardless of weather conditions, the staff will be present.

Relocation plans

On 4 April 2008, the

Urban Redevelopment Authority The Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) is the national urban planning authority of Singapore, and a statutory board under the Ministry of National Development of the Government of Singapore. Mission The authority was established on 1 April ...

announced plans to relocate the Science Centre next to

Chinese Garden MRT station Chinese Garden MRT station is an above-ground Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) station on the East West line in Jurong East, Singapore. It primarily serves the residential estate of Yuhua, as well as the various tourist attractions in Jurong Lake, in ...

within ten to 15 years. On 24 May 2019, the Science Centre board awarded a multi-disciplinary team led by

Architects 61 An architect is a person who plans, designs and oversees the construction of buildings. To practice architecture means to provide services in connection with the design of buildings and the space within the site surrounding the buildings that h ...

for the design of the new centre, expected to be ready by 2025. It said the team, which includes

Zaha Hadid Dame Zaha Mohammad Hadid ( ar, زها حديد ''Zahā Ḥadīd''; 31 October 1950 – 31 March 2016) was an Iraqi-British architect, artist and designer, recognised as a major figure in architecture of the late 20th and early 21st centu ...

architects, submitted the "best proposal which reflected the boldness of scientific endeavour and future focused Stem aspirations". The new design was unveiled on 2 December 2022, with completion now scheduled for 2027.

References

External links

{{Authority control 1977 establishments in Singapore Jurong East Museums established in 1977 Science and technology in Singapore Scientific organisations based in Singapore

Singapore Singapore (), officially the Republic of Singapore, is a sovereign island country and city-state in maritime Southeast Asia. It lies about one degree of latitude () north of the equator, off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, bor ...

Science museums in Singapore