Description of the attraction
Galust Gulbekyan's planetarium is located in Belem. This museum is located between the Jeronimos Monastery and the new building of the Maritime Museum.
The planetarium building was designed by the architect Frederico George and opened in 1965. It is worth noting that this architect was also involved in the project of the building of the Maritime Museum. The facade of the building is very unusual, the majestic building is crowned with a dome with a diameter of 25 meters.
The planetarium belongs to the Galust Gulbekyan Foundation, which aims to support scientific, cultural, educational, artistic and humanitarian endeavors. The foundation was established after the death of Galust Gulbekyan, a famous Armenian businessman and philanthropist who spent the last years of his life in Portugal and bequeathed to open the foundation.
In 2004, restoration work was carried out in the planetarium. A year later, with new equipment and a new look, it opened as a Life Science Center. Inside, through panoramic floodlights, a celestial sphere is displayed, on which about 9000 stars and the Milky Way can be seen. The installation of a new model floodlight made the planetarium the leading planetarium in the world.
Throughout the day, the planetarium hosts “star and space” shows in Portuguese, English and French. These shows are about how the stars move, about the solar system. In addition, there are also special themed shows. For example, the show "The Star of Bethlehem", which is very popular with children at Christmas. And throughout the year, seminars are held where all sorts of topics are discussed: astrophysics, space research, the motion and evolution of stars, the solar system, constellations and many others. Seminars are organized every month. A very interesting and popular seminar dedicated to the journey of Vasco da Gama and Bartolomeu Dias.
