Star gazers get a modern observatory in northern Vietnam

On January 9, the Vietnam Space Center under the Vietnam Academy of Science and Technology announced its operation plans and welcomed visitors interested in astronomy. This is the most modern observatory in the north with a 100-seat dome shaped theater.

The observatory is located in the Hoa Lac Hi-tech Park, 30 km from Hanoi's center, along with the Vietnam Space Museum and Hoa Lac Astronomical Station. Invested by Vietnam Space Center, it cost VND60 billion ($2.6 million) to build.

Through short films and attractive visual effects with a three dimensional feel to it, thanks to the curved dome, visitors get interesting information about the universe, planets in the Solar System, constellations and other space matter.

The showroom is equipped with a system of six high-resolution projectors that deliver realistic 3D images of the sky and stars, giving viewers a virtual experience of flying into space. 

The modern 0.5-meter optical telescope at the observatory is the largest one in Vietnam to date.

The observatory roof automatically rotates when the glass moves with planetary object that is focused on. The large aperture allows human eyes to see objects 4,000 times dimmer than human vision limits.

A viewfinder on the large telescope.

As mentioned earlier, once the telescope is trained on an object in space, it will track it automatically.

A field rotator and a specialized camera mounted at the focal point of a reflecting telescope.

From the second quarter, the observatory will open as a hub of learning, welcoming visitors, researchers and students of astronomy. Construction of the observatory began in 2015.