Yang-ju in Kyonggi province has an astronomy observatory that general people can use. It is Song-am Stars Valley, about thirty to forty minutes from Seoul. The sign at the gate says “Welcome to Jang-heung Amusement Park,” which Song-am Stars Valley belongs to.Song-am Stars Valley consists of four buildings: the Space Center, a cable car station, the observatory, and Star House. First, I entered the Space Center. The Space Center consists of the Digital Planetarium and the Challenger Learning Center. The Digital Planetarium offers an experience of simulated space in a room with a hemisphere screen on the ceiling. I felt as if I was in outer space. You can use it any time because it isn’t influenced by weather conditions.
Another facility is the Challenger Learning Center (CLC). The CLC is an institution of learning. In 1986, the space shuttle Challenger had an accident, and the crew died. The CLC was established to respect the memory of the crew of Challenger. The CLC has a simulation program in which teams simulate a mission to Jupiter. Each team gets information about going to Jupiter, overcomes an emergency, and conducts an experiment. They accept applications by teams of at least thirty people. There are fifty one CLCs in the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom. However, only Song-am has a three dimensional CLC. It lets you feel a vivid experience. Therefore, you can go through a more graphic experience.
Going out of the Space Center, I went up to the observatory by cable car. Riding the cable car, I could see a beautiful landscape. Six minutes later, I reached the observatory. There were many telescopes. The Newton Room’s 60 centimeter Ritchey-Chretien style telescope lets you see stars that normal telescopes can’t capture. Most of all, I was surprised at the equipment showing the image that the telescope captured on a screen.Song-am has higher technology than I thought. I think that Song-am Stars Valley will be a useful experience for people who are interested in astronomy. I will not forget the experience there. They have also prepared lodging facilities, Star House. If you want to make an overnight trip, you can stay in Star House with a reservation.
