A Trip to Taipei Astronomical Museum (Review)

I used to visit the Shilin district for the Shilin night market. Turns out, Shilin has quite a few children-friendly venues. There’s the Taipei Astronomical Museum (“Astronomical Museum”) for space-loving children. Just next door, the National Taiwan Science Education Center (“Science Center”) excites those with scientific minds. And all children will definitely love the dose of fun at the nearby Taipei Children’s Amusement Park (“Amusement Park”).

Find out how we spent our time at the Astronomical Museum. Jump to the relevant section:

• The Shows
• The Exhibition
• Planning Your Visit

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The Shows

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My plan was to go for one show at the Dome Theatre and then explore the exhibition. But we ended up watching both shows at the 3D Theatre and Dome Theatre and spent less time at the exhibits. This plan turned out well because Grace preferred the shows over the exhibition.

3D Theatre

We went for two shows because I bought the wrong ticket and went for the 3D theatre show at 10:00 AM instead. We were given disposable 3D glasses which we could keep as souvenirs.

Grace picked Superpower Dogs over the Antarctic, but sadly there were not many scenes that had the 3D wow effect. Perhaps only one to two scenes made the children in the audience gasp. Basically, I wouldn’t miss much even if I took out the 3D glasses and watched it in 2D. Note that the characters are Caucasians but the show is dubbed in Mandarin. In any case, the documentary content is still good.

Film duration: ~50 minutes.

Dome Theatre

I was buying tickets when Grace showed me a publicity postcard with a cartoon hamster on it and said “I want to watch this show!” I didn’t see the title on the show list and told her the museum was not screening it. Turned out I saw the wrong show list. I was looking at 3D and not Dome shows.

When we came out of the 3D theatre, we realised that the show Grace wanted to watch was starting soon at the Dome Theatre. We still had time to buy and be seated before the 11:00 AM show started.

The ticket price at the Astronomical Museum is much cheaper than in Singapore. It’s about S$2 and S$4 for children and adults respectively. Later I realised that Science Centre Singapore was screening the same show at the Omni theatre: www.science.edu.sg/visit-us/omni-theatre/3-2-1-Liftoff, except it’s English while it is dubbed in Chinese in Taiwan.

The Dome theatre has a wide curved screen that allows for an immersive movie experience. However, do note that young children and some adults might find the show too giddy. A young child, about 3 years old, burst out in tears and the dad carried her out. Grace nursed a headache after the show too. The ticket is meant for a 50-minute show, but the show lasts about 35 minutes.

So for the remaining 15 minutes, one staff displayed the view of a starry night sky and explained star constellations like in a lecture. We sat in awe under the blanket of the stars, but we left halfway during the lecture because it was difficult for Grace to understand. Moreover, because of personal beliefs, I wasn’t comfortable with the explanations constantly linked to astrology/horoscope signs.

In any case, the show is educational through a fun and interesting story-telling format.

Cosmic Adventure

Cosmic Adventure is like a ride at Disneyland with special effects. Hop on to the vehicle and journey through outer space for about 10 minutes. I skipped this ride because of the appearance of aliens during the ride. I’m not a fan of feeding her with images for nightmares, especially since she’s still young.

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The Exhibition

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Exhibits: Our Experience

There are interactive exhibits and models about space across the three floors — from learning about the earth, solar systems, constellations and galaxies. We also saw and learned about ancient astronomy instruments. Grace even got to sit and pose on a rover.

When we were done, we left the Astronomical Museum through the wrong door. We had to go back in to exit another way. Grace didn’t know that and thought we were going back in – so she said, please don’t go in again. She was having a slight headache from the Dome show and the dimly lit museum made it worse.

For me, I enjoyed the parts where they explained the solar system but I felt there were too many exhibits on the big bang, evolution and horoscopes which my Christian belief system didn’t quite agree with. So for Grace, I had to filter out the descriptions a bit and at times explain why I don’t agree with/believe what’s displayed.

Exhibits: Suggested Play

I think the Astronomical Museum is more suitable for older kids in primary school or those children who are really interested in space. You could still give the Astronomical Museum a try. And if your child is not that interested, simply walk over to the nearby Science Center (they have good reviews too).

My suggestion would be to go for the combo ticket. Go to the Astronomical Museum for the shows and a quick tour around the exhibits. Then, go to the Science Centre and continue the fun. The ticket prices are not expensive, so this can be a good alternative.

Observatory

We didn’t know there was an observatory on the top floor because the lift we took didn’t allow us to go further than the 3rd floor. We probably took the wrong lift, because one observatory is used for research and not open to the public, while the other is for the public for limited hours. It is also open to the public during special astronomical events, such as the blood moon.

Apparently, there’s a 20-cm Coude refractor to view sunspots, the moon, planets, nebulae and star clusters.

Meilun Park and Playground

For some light after spending time in the dimly lit museum, children can run and play around Meilun Park outside the museum. There’s a playground, water play and other play features such as sound tubes. It rained when we left the museum so Grace didn’t get a chance to play outdoors under the sun.

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Plan your Visit

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For more information on the Taipei Astronomical Museum (臺北市立天文科學教育館), visit their website at https://en.tam.gov.taipei/.

Operating Hours

Closed on Mondays, except for public holidays

Exhibition and Theatres

• Tues to Fri, and Sun: 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM
• Sat: 9:00 AM to 8:00 PM

Observatory

• Tues to Fri: 10:00 AM to 12:00 PM
• Tues to Fri: 2:00 PM to 4:00 PM

Cosmic Adventure

• Tues to Sun: 9:30 AM to 4:00 PM

Getting There

Name: Taipei Astronomical Museum (臺北市立天文科學教育館)

Address: No.363, Jihe Rd., Shilin, Taipei City, Taiwan

Public Transportation:

• Red Line (Tamsui-Xinyi Line): You can alight at Jiantan, Shilin or Zhishan Station and walk for about 20 minutes.
• MRT Shilin Station Exit 1: Red 12, Red 30, or Taipei Children’s Amusement Park 1 -Taipei Astronomical Museum
• MRT Jiantan Station Exit 3: Bus 41, Red 30, Citizen Mini Bus 8 or Taipei Children’s Amusement Park 2 – Taipei Astronomical Museum

We alighted at MRT Shilin Station. After we exited from Exit 1, we walked all the way straight and crossed the road. The bus stop is near the traffic light. We then boarded Red 30 and it brought us to the bus stop right outside the Science Centre. It’s about a 3-minute walk to the Astronomical Museum.

If you are driving, there’s parking available at the museum.

Admission Fees

Exhibition

• Adult: NT$40 (~S$1.70)
• Below 12 years old: NT$20 (~S$0.85)
• 6 years old and below; Disabled Person: Free

Theatres (Dome & 3D)

• Adult: NT$100 (~S$4.30)
• Below 12 years old: NT$50 (~S$2.15)
• Disabled Person: Free

Cosmic Adventure

• Adult: NT$70 (~S$3.00)
• Below 12 years old: NT$35 (~S$1.50)
• Disabled Person: Free

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Before you go, you might want to check out my other posts on Taiwan. Leave your comments or questions below. Love to hear from you. :)

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