The 'world's largest planetarium' near completion: Enormous museum in China costs £68 million to build and is set to open in 2021
- Shanghai Planetarium is set to be the largest of its kind by construction size
- Building works are due to finish this year and 95 per cent has been completed
- Its planetarium dome has a diameter of 95 feet and is not the world's biggest
- A museum in Russia has the world's largest planetarium by the size of the dome
China is building an enormous museum billed as 'the world's largest planetarium'.
The Shanghai Planetarium occupies 39,000 square metres (419,790 square feet) - about half of the size of The Louvre in Paris - and is due to be the largest museum facility in the world solely dedicated to astronomy.
The planetarium's designing team say the attraction in suburban Shanghai will beat all its peers in the world in terms of its construction size.
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Construction of the Shanghai Planetarium is due to finish by the end of this year and according to Chinese media, 95 per cent of the building works have been completed as of this month
The structure is due to be the largest museum facility in the world solely dedicated to astronomy, but its planetarium dome, with a diameter of 68 feet, will not be the largest
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However, its domed theatre - with an exterior diameter of 29 metres (95 feet) - will be smaller than the one in the Museum of Space Exhibits in St. Petersburg.
The Shanghai Planetarium will cost around 600 million yuan (£68 million) to build and is scheduled to welcome its first guests in 2021.
It is situated in the eastern part of Pudong New Area of Shanghai, a mega-metropolis of around 25 million people known for its skyscrapers.
Construction of the three-storey museum started in late 2016 and is expected to complete by the end of this year.
The impressive building is a single structure reportedly made of 2,000 tonnes of steel
According to People's Daily, 95 per cent of the construction has been finished as of this month.
The building, a single structure reportedly made of 2,000 tonnes of steel, has drawn much attention due to its flowing curves.
Its smooth silhouette is inspired by the orbital motion of sun and earth, according to its designers.
The planetarium will cost around £68 million to build and is scheduled to open in 2021
It is situated in the eastern part of Pudong in Shanghai, a mega-metropolis of some 25 million
Apart from star-gazing, visitors would be able to find permanent and temporary exhibitions, two domed theatres and an overnight outdoor youth camp when the museum opens its doors in two years.
The first theatre has an interior screen measuring approximately 16.9 metres (55 feet) in diameter; while the second theatre is equipped with a sphere with an exterior diameter of 29 metres, according to the designers.
The world's largest planetarium dome, measuring a whopping 37 metres (121 feet) across, is in the Museum of Space Exhibits in St Petersburg, Russia.
The museum opened in 2017 and beat the previous record holder, the planetarium in the Nagoya City Science Museum in Japan, by two metres (6.5 feet).
The Planetarium No.1 in the Museum of Space Exhibits in St Petersburg is the world's largest planetarium by the size of the dome. The structure boasts a diametre of 37 metres (121 feet)
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