Peter Harrison Planetarium

View of Peter Harrison Planetarium Exterior of Peter Harrison Planetarium The spectacular Peter Harrison Planetarium opened in May 2007 at the centre of the Royal Observatory site. It was designed by award-winning architects Allies and Morrison.

Find out what's on at the planetarium and book a show
Please note: access to the planetarium is via the lower floor of the new Astronomy Centre (Royal Observatory South Building, visible on the left of the image).

RIBA award

The Peter Harrison Planetarium and renovated South Building have now won a prestigious Royal Institute of British Architects award.

The bronze cone

‘...the Royal Observatory’s Peter Harrison Planetarium does have a sense of other-worldliness about it and an abstract, sculpted beauty, with seamless bronze coat pre-weathered to create the impression that somehow it has always been there.’
Daily Telegraph, May 2007

The planetarium cone is one of the single largest uses of bronze in the world. It is made from nearly 250 individual plates welded together and patinated to look like a single piece.

The shape of the cone is related to the stars and is unique to its location in Greenwich:

The north side of the cone is aligned with the point in the sky perpendicular to the Greenwich local horizon (zenith)
The sloping southern side points towards the north celestial pole (Pole star). The angle of the slope is 51º28'44", equal to the latitude of the Royal Observatory
The top of the cone is sliced at an angle parallel to the celestial equator
The planetarium is aligned with the local meridian (north-south line)

First piece of bronze being lowered on to planetarium cone Workers carefully lowering the first piece of bronze into place on the south slope of the planetarium.The sliced plane is covered in layers of reflecting glass which offer a glimpse of the changing sky and space.

The cone is made from 250mm-thick concrete to keep out sound, clad in an 8mm phosphor bronze shell. The bronze panels were prefabricated in Gateshead and brought to Greenwich in segments, where the panels were lifted into place and site-welded to achieve the precise geometry of an astronomical instrument. The bronze finish has been achieved using layers of patination which will get richer over time. The swirling patterns echo the images of nebulae shown within the planetarium.

Inside the planetarium

Planetarium show A planetarium showInside the cone is Europe's first digital laser planetarium projector, making possible shows which take the audiences out into space looking back at Earth, as well as the inclusion of up-to-the-minute images sent back by space probes.

See details of planetarium shows until 31 March 2010: