Summary:
On May 7, 1925, the world’s first planetarium opened at the Deutsches Museum in Munich.
Planetariums around the world celebrate this “100th birthday of the planetarium” on May 7, International Planetarium Day.
Since the end of 2023, the International Planetarium Society (IPS) and the Society of German-Speaking Planetariums (GDP) have been honoring the upcoming anniversary with their “100 Years of Planetariums” celebration year under the motto “The Stars Were Only the Beginning.” The celebration year is under the patronage of Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier and will conclude with the anniversary day on May 7, 2025.
When the first planetarium opened 100 years ago, it marked the beginning of a success story in science communication that continues to this day. Today, there are over 4,000 planetariums in approximately 100 countries, making a valuable contribution to informal education, as extracurricular learning centers, and as cultural institutions. Planetariums have evolved and diversified since 1925. Their original purpose was to demonstrate the orbits of the planets in a deceptively realistically recreated starry sky. Today, planetariums also illustrate our place in the universe through projections of digital 3D models of the cosmos, as well as the latest findings in astronomy and other sciences, and their 360° projections also provide a platform for art and culture.
To mark the anniversary on May 7, 2025, many planetariums in Germany, Austria, and Switzerland will present special anniversary presentations, including the planetariums in Berlin, Hamburg, Bochum, Stuttgart, and Lucerne, as well as many others.
A special highlight presented by many planetariums on this day is an online broadcast by the International Planetarium Society (IPS; in English), which begins at 8 p.m. CEST. A live link to planetariums on all continents will celebrate the anniversary and showcase the diversity of planetariums today. This broadcast will be publicly available on the IPS YouTube channel at:
Link: Planetarium Centennial: Closing Ceremony
Press photos for the anniversary year “100 Years of Planetarium” are available for download at:
Press area – Centennial of the Planetarium