Category: Civil Architecture > Building
District: Lisboa > Lisboa > Belém > Restelo
The Calouste Gulbenkian Planetarium is located in an emblematic area of Lisbon, in the historic Belém district. Situated in the vast Praça do Império (Empire Square), it benefits from a strategic position by the Tagus River and is surrounded by extensive green spaces and monuments that mark the history of the city and the country. Its location places it within a cultural and scientific context of great importance.
The idea of creating a planetarium in Lisbon originated from the dream of a Portuguese Navy officer, Commander Eugénio Conceição Silva, driven by his great passion for astronomy. This desire materialized in a partnership between the Portuguese Navy and the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation. The building, designed by architect Frederico George, was inaugurated in 1965, on the day marking ten years since Calouste Gulbenkian's death, becoming a milestone for science dissemination in Portugal.
The heart of the Planetarium is its large dome, which functions as a screen for projections. Initially, it used a manually operated optical projection system from the Zeiss brand, which for decades offered a precise view of the starry sky. With technological evolution, the Planetarium was equipped with a hybrid projection system. This combines the precision of the original optical projector with an advanced digital fulldome system, composed of multiple projectors that create a continuous and immersive image across the entire dome surface. This technology allows for a faithful representation of the cosmos with great detail.
At the Calouste Gulbenkian Planetarium, visitors are invited on an immersive journey through space. It is possible to observe the representation of the night sky, planets, constellations, the Milky Way, and other galaxies, as they would be seen from different points on the globe or in different eras. Thanks to the versatility of current technology, sessions can go beyond astronomy, exploring content from various fields of science, history, or even abstract visual spectacles. The goal is to communicate science by creating emotions, offering a unique perspective on our place in the universe and the world.
License: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/deed.pt
Coordinates DD: 38.6980874,-9.2089003
Coordinates DMS: 38°41'53.1"N 09°12'32.0"W
Weather Belém
On-duty Pharmacy Belém
