The Science Park will renovate its planetarium display system.

The Granada Science Park has launched a tender worth nearly one million euros to renovate the viewing system of its planetarium, which has the longest history in Andalusia and is one of the pioneers in Spain. More than 3.4 million people have passed through these facilities since its launch.

Currently, due to the intensive use due to the great demand it generates and the passage of time, it records major contact failures and after thirty years there are no spare parts for the problematic parts that are essential for its operation.

Furthermore, the lighting sources for the two display systems, digital and opto-mechanical, use halogen and incandescent lamps that have been discontinued as a result of the European Commission directive, so once the available stock is exhausted, it is expected that for a few months, the Science Park will not be able to use the facility.

To respond to this circumstance, the consortium that manages the park has put out a tender for the supply and installation of the new hybrid planetarium projection system for a tender amount of 983,427 euros. The museum seeks to ensure that it is used as a powerful educational and teaching tool to continue awakening scientific vocations and bringing science closer to society.

In the technical specifications, which Europa Press has seen, the intention is for the delivery and installation period of the new system to be before the end of the year, but this can be extended if the winning bidder duly ratifies this.

Astronomy is one of the main pillars of the Granada Museum and since its beginnings in 1995 it has had a large number of permanent installations and activities revolving around this science. Among them is this planetarium, located in the Foucault Pendulum building and seating 83 people, but it also contains several portable planetariums, an astronomical observatory and temporary installations and exhibitions that demonstrate its close connection with the study of the universe.

In fact, the Science Park has produced outstanding planetarium programs such as “Traveling with Light” which since its opening in December 2019 has been translated into 14 languages ​​and is shown in more than twenty planetariums around the world or “Escher’s World”, which even twelve years after its opening (2012) continues to promote the image of the Granada Museum outside Spain.