Here once stood the Suginami Science Museum a place of learning. The Suginami Science Museum was dedicated to science education for children. It aimed to spark curiosity.
The Suginami Science Museum’s story began in 1969. It started as the Suginami Ward Science Education Center. The center focused on educating children from local schools. In 2002 it was renamed the Suginami Science Museum. It became a place for lifelong learning for all residents.
Inside the Suginami Science Museum visitors explored many exhibits. A planetarium showed the stars. Telescopes allowed views of celestial objects. Halls displayed science experiments. Labs provided hands-on learning.
The planetarium at the Suginami Science Museum was a key feature. It was manufactured by Gotoh Optical Research Institute. The dome had 140 seats. It measured 15 meters in diameter. Over the years it received many updates. It featured manual and automated projections. Public showings occurred on weekends and during school breaks. During school terms it served local schools.
The Suginami Science Museum also housed telescopes. These included a 15 cm refracting equatorial telescope. Another was a 10 cm refracting equatorial telescope. A 45 cm Dobsonian telescope was also available. The museum even had a Daystar hydrogen-alpha filter. This allowed safe viewing of the sun’s prominences.
The Suginami Science Museum featured a hall. It honored Dr. Masatoshi Koshiba. He was a Nobel Prize winner in physics. He lived in Suginami Ward. The exhibition was open to the public.
The Suginami Science Museum held events. “Astronomy Evenings” combined planetarium shows. They used telescopes for observations. Science classrooms and science time sessions were also conducted.
Sadly the Suginami Science Museum closed on March 31 2016. The facilities became old. The Suginami Ward is planning a new science education center. The new center aims to be a hub for learning.
Today the site of the former Suginami Science Museum has been repurposed. In March 2014 Suginami Ward planned to use the site effectively. A special nursing home was built there.
Though the Suginami Science Museum is gone its legacy remains. It inspired countless children. It fostered a love of science in the community. A new chapter for science education is now being planned in Suginami. The spirit of discovery lives on.