Kharkov Planetarium

The planetarium named after Yuri Gagarin is located in Kharkov. It was opened in 1957 and until today is the second in terms of capacity and capabilities in Ukraine. He is also a member of the International Planetarium Association.

It is interesting that at first its building was not intended for arrangement of a planetarium at all. Initially, the building had two floors and was built for the Mordvin synagogue. It was built in 1910. The synagogue did not last very long, until 1936, and then the club was made of it. Later, during the Second World War, the structure was partially destroyed and this remained for several years. Then the local authorities decided to close another synagogue, this time Choral. Instead of the Jewish community, the remnants of the Mordvin synagogue were offered, but with some conditions. They were required to reconstruct the building at certain times. As the community did not have such means, it could not take the building. A few more years passed, and the room was never used.

And only in 1957, the astronomer Nikolai Barabashov proposed to create in a destroyed building a planetarium. The idea was approved and it was with this that the history of the Kharkov Planetarium began. The first demonstration device, which was installed in it, was the Planetarium UP-4. With the development of astronomy and space technology, in 1962 it was replaced by a newer apparatus, "Small Zeiss". Then there was an interesting story.

In the 70s, when the seminar of the planetarium directors was held, the information about the new apparatus "Medium Zeiss" for the Saratov planetarium was announced. Looking at the fact that its dimensions required certain changes in the design of the dome, its installation was not carried out. Kharkov Planetarium agreed to conduct the necessary work in the room to install this unit. So began a lot of repairs, during which of the eight-meter dome created a new with a size of 15 m in diameter. Such parameters allowed to accommodate the "Average Zeiss". The reconstruction was completed in 1974. This was the first automated device with programmatic control in the entire Soviet Union.

The planetarium was visited by many astronauts to study the position of the stars and work on the "Middle Zeiss". Lecturers and employees of the institution practiced in different planetariums of Ukraine and abroad, taking the experience of others and sharing their knowledge. Every year, the exposition materials of the planetarium were replenished with new samples. In 2008, in the museum "Cosmos", which was created on the basis of the planetarium, an exhibition was opened dedicated to research in the field of ufology. Among all the materials you can see data on the abnormal zones of the Earth, art images of aliens, scientific research about the possibilities of life on other planets, as well as messages of earthlings to other civilizations. Among the known exhibits of the museum you can see rocket carriers that are produced in Ukraine, models of orbital stations of Space Shuttle, MIR and others.

The Kharkov Planetarium becomes more interesting every year and is replenished with new samples. For several years he took part in the worldwide action "Night at the Museum", within the framework of which a telescope is installed in the street, and everyone can watch various heavenly bodies in it. In 2011, the planetarium opened new rooms and equipment, thanks to which it became possible to view the stars even during the day. Now, with the help of modern technology, everyone has the opportunity to view special 3-D programs created for the planetarium. Today the institution takes a lot of visitors every day and pleases everyone with its work.