TheJakartaPost
Please Update your browser
Your browser is out of date, and may not be compatible with our website. A list of the most popular web browsers can be found below.
Just click on the icons to get to the download page.
Astrophiles marvel at Jupiter at Jakarta planetarium
Look up: Visitors use a telescope to view Jupiter, the biggest planet in the solar system, at the Jakarta Planetarium and Observatory in Cikini, Central Jakarta, on Friday
Change Size
L
ook up: Visitors use a telescope to view Jupiter, the biggest planet in the solar system, at the Jakarta Planetarium and Observatory in Cikini, Central Jakarta, on Friday. The planetarium is holding public viewings of Jupiter until Monday.(JP/Eisya Asshafina)
Enthusiasm was high among residents gathered at the Jakarta Planetarium and Observatory for a unique chance to see Jupiter from the capital.
Some 250 people lined up at the only planetarium in the city on Friday evening to marvel at the fifth planet from the sun.
The planetarium offered free entry to view Jupiter at opposition — its brightest and closets point to the Earth — from June 10 to 17.
Families, couples and friends gathered around the planetarium hall to register their names on Friday afternoon. The registration desk is open until 7:30 p.m., but the observation will continue as long as visitors are still present.
After registering, each visitor gets a number and when theirs is called out, they may proceed to the observation room or the roof for a firsthand look at the sky.
Sri Agustin Wulandari, who had come with her husband and two children, said she had to wait 30 minutes before going to the roof.
“The kids loved it, because it’s their first time to observe the sky through a telescope,” Sri said.
“We came because their dad loves science, and we want the kids to learn as well.”
The Jakarta Planetarium and Observatory made two telescopes available for the public.
The portable refractor telescope was used to observe Jupiter from the rooftop terrace.
Meanwhile, the Takahashi MT-130 reflector telescope, a bigger telescope permanently installed at the observatory, is used to see the moon.
“Jupiter was brighter on Thursday, but today the moon is clearer,” said Adelia Pramesti, a college student from Surabaya, East Java, who had come on Friday for her second time.
The event is another attraction of the Taman Ismail Marzuki (TIM) in Cikini, Central Jakarta, known as the capital’s cultural hub, the complex where the planetarium is located.
Adelia’s friend Permata Berlian said she usually visited TIM for theatrical performances.
“But when we saw TIM’s Instagram post about this public viewing on Jupiter, we thought we should check it out,” she said.
Like other visitors, Adelia and Permata only got about a minute each to observe Jupiter.
Some visitors were asked to wait a little longer when the sky was cloudy.
During that time, Milla Izzatul, an astronomer at the Planetarium, urged visitors to ask questions regarding outer space.
Milla explained to the crowds that on June 10, Jupiter was in opposition, meaning it was aligned with the sun and earth.
However, June 12 was when the planet was at its nearest position to earth, which was the best time to observe Jupiter.
“That is why the Jakarta planetarium scheduled our monthly observation program for this time,” she added.
The monthly observation is part of the planetarium’s public outreach and education program, in line with its core function.
The Jakarta Planetarium and Observatory celebrated its golden jubilee on March 1.
During the 50 years of its service, the planetarium had only undergone one major renovation, in 1998, spokesman Eko Wahyu Wibowo said. The renovation included the construction of a wider pathway, chair replacement and a new star projector in their theater dome.
“We used to have seven shows, but now we only have two, because our projector is worn out and outdated,” Eko told The Jakarta Post.
Widya Sawitar, a senior researcher at the planetarium, said they sometimes had to cancel shows without prior notice when the projector had technical problems.
Some chairs in the planetarium were missing cushions, metal from the skybridge leading the path to the main room was rusty, and collections in the exhibition hall were as old as the building itself.
As a building that stood for 50 years, the Jakarta Planetarium and Observatory could be considered cultural heritage. However, plans to finalize its status were pending a decision from the Jakarta Cultural Heritage Team (TACB), Eko added.
The Jakarta administration is currently conducting major renovation work at the TIM complex to bolster its function as Jakarta’s main cultural hub. The planetarium was also included in the mega project, but no details have emerged on what parts would be revamped. Eko expressed hope that the project would not hinder the planetarium’s purpose as a science and education facility.
“We hope the plan to revitalize TIM will not damage the planetarium’s building,” Eko said. (eyc)
