In August 2020 we opened the Public Observatory. It has become a popular place where people come for new insights and vivid impressions of the starry sky, the planets and galaxies.
More than 1,500 volunteers from all over Estonia created this amazing facility. We have recently marked three years since we opened and all this time we have enjoyed sharing knowledge about the magnificent and sometimes mysterious universe.
But there is one problem...
But there is one problem: we don’t always have clear skies in Estonia. And people are always very interested knowing about the universe. So for a long time we have been thinking of expanding our educational programme and installing a large planetarium in Tallinn.
We bought a planetarium!
We have just started to make this dream a reality and have now bought a planetarium! It is a dome 10 metres in diameter and 9 metres high. Inside there are eight powerful projectors, a server rack with equipment and 35 comfortable semi-reclining seats. It is not new and needs refurbishing. Then the planetarium will thrill its visitors (i.e. you) for many years to come!
Inside, popular science shows will be played on a spherical dome screen. The planetarium will also be hosting astronomy lectures for adults and children and invite interesting speakers from the world of science.
We will install the planetarium in Tallinn by the new year. At the moment, we are searching for a suitable location, which will be convenient for visitors (incl. children).
Project cost
The total cost of the project is over 100 000 euro. We will try to cover most of the costs ourselves. However, the repair, renovation and installation is a lot of work. It involves considerable expense that is beyond our financial means.Therefore, we decided to ask for support again from everyone who understands that popularizing science is important for the people of Estonia.
The universe is magnificent and infinite. Our mission is to show this to people and encourage them to explore it more profoundly. When we were building the observatory we understood that we could come together to achieve a big goal. We’d like to think that this time as well we will be able to raise the amount we need and continue popularizing science in this wonderful planetarium!
- 5000 euro will be used for the rapid installation of the planetarium.
- 10 000 euro will make it possible to replace/restore the covering of the dome.
- 15 000 euro will enable us to book some outstanding popular science shows for a whole year. The shows are produced by third parties and are available for rent.
- 20 000 euro will help to integrate a simultaneous interpretation system for several languages.
And if a generous patron is willing to support the project with 250 000 euro, we will install the latest Megastar optical system inside the planetarium, which will show realistic cosmic events as if you were under the vast starry sky.
What if we don't get the whole sum?
It's clear that the planetarium will not disappear and we will finalize the project relying on our means. However, then the project will take much more time and we won't be able to equip it with the high-quality science shows and organize simulaneous interpretation to several languages.
Thank you in advance for your support!
Links to Public Observatory's pages:
