The 1st rural observatory in Shaanxi shines brightly
Photographed by Zhong Yuhe
Located deep in the mountains, Huoshaodian Town of Liuba County, Hanzhong City, Shaanxi Province, has a small population density and less light pollution. Here, almost every clear night is shining in the light of thousands of stars, endowing the town with excellent conditions for stargazing.
Photographed by Zheng Qiang
As a result, a rural observatory, an exhibition hall for deciphering the universe and the starry sky, settled in Huoshaodian Town, Liuba County, Hanzhong City. Qinling Rural Observatory is the first rural observatory in Shaanxi Province. The whole building looks like a rocket that is about to launch, with the whole body covered in white color. It is divided into four functional areas: astronomy interactive display area, natural science book corner, astronomy multimedia classroom, and astronomical observatory.
The astronomical observatory is equipped with a built-in large-scale refracting 152APO binocular professional-grade astronomical telescope.
In May this year, the model of the Qinling Rural Observatory was unveiled at the 18th International Architecture Exhibition La Biennale di Venezia as one of the "new architectural forms" at the Pavilion of the P.R.China.
Photographed by Zheng Mingqin
Photographed by Liu Bin
In June this year, the observatory started trial operation, offering planetary observation, astronomical knowledge popularization, and astronomical research lectures.
Huoshaodian Town has great potential to develop the "stargazing industry" for its advantaged stargazing resources. Various "star-themed" activities and businesses are thriving, and stargazing has gradually evolved from a niche hobby to a popular form of tourism, driving the development of a series of cultural tourism industry chains in the town.
At present, the Qinling Rural Observatory is still in the trial operation stage, receiving nearly 100 tourists every week. Upon the official operation of the observatory in the future, it will also launch activities such as starry sky photography, astronomy-themed exhibitions and planetary lectures, continuously extending the starry sky tourism industry chain in Huoshaodian Town.
