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00:00 Jakarta is a city full of things to see.
00:05 From the many cultural icons that come from its long history,
00:09 to the people that enrich the day-to-day life in and around its streets.
00:14 And sometimes, on a clear and cloud-free night,
00:19 those with a little luck can see a glimpse of our universe and the stars within.
00:27 However, because we live in a city, it is quite difficult to see stars
00:31 because of the light pollution that comes from our buildings.
00:35 However, there was once a place where you can see the stars,
00:40 and many things beyond it.
00:42 It's right over here.
00:44 This is the Jakarta Planetarium and Observatory,
00:50 located at the Taman Ismail Marzuki in central Jakarta.
00:54 It is a building representing the richness of history and knowledge located within the city.
01:02 The planetarium has been closed to the public since 2020,
01:06 but I was given an exclusive tour to see what still lies within.
01:12 Good morning, Mas Rehan.
01:15 Good morning, Mas Satya.
01:16 So nice to meet you. I thought you were going to come out from there.
01:19 Yeah, actually, that's the planetarium building.
01:23 But right now, we can't leave it.
01:26 I hope it's here temporarily.
01:29 Right, temporarily, while it's still being renovated.
01:32 Yes.
01:33 I see. Well, let's take a look inside, shall we?
01:35 Let's go.
01:36 The Jakarta Planetarium and Observatory broke ground in the early 1960s
01:47 under the orders of President Sukarno, who had the vision to put Indonesia
01:52 at the forefront of research into science and technology.
01:57 In the five decades after its inauguration,
02:00 the planetarium has become an important center of education into the stars for many in Jakarta,
02:07 and indeed the rest of the country,
02:10 with many Indonesians experiencing their first foray into astronomy right here within its grounds.
02:16 Myself included.
02:18 Since 2020, however, its facilities have fallen into disrepair
02:23 after revitalization efforts left the planetarium only partially finished.
02:28 Thankfully, a vital part of this facility, its heart and soul, is still intact.
02:35 Yeah, this is where the magic happens.
02:39 Yeah.
02:40 This is where people come inside and see the planetarium show.
02:44 Right.
02:46 So we have like 22 meters in the diameter of the dome.
02:53 Uh-huh.
02:54 And currently we have like 250 seats.
02:59 Before the revitalization, we had like 350.
03:02 And basically the projections, they all kind of show up on the ceiling of the dome.
03:10 Yeah, the screen is...
03:11 Yeah, the dome has become the screen because we need that design to imitate the night sky.
03:17 Okay.
03:18 Because we know night sky is also a dome of light, right?
03:22 Okay.
03:23 So it's like half of a round.
03:27 So this is where we simulate the night sky.
03:30 At its center is the Universarium, affectionately known by the astronomers as Starball.
03:38 It is an analog projector with possibly hundreds of lenses,
03:43 each one projecting with extreme precision the exact location of visible objects in the night sky.
03:51 The Starball was first acquired by the planetarium in 1996,
03:56 but was partly broken after the planetarium's closing in 2020.
04:01 And so, some of its functions are not accessible.
04:05 Despite its age and its damage, however, the Starball can still work its magic.
04:12 Shall we give it a try then?
04:15 Of course.
04:16 Well, lights down.
04:18 Wow.
04:23 A symphony of light appears in the night sky.
04:27 They are those of stars, planets, and galaxies that we could see on a clear night in the southern hemisphere.
04:36 And accompanying them were constellations, groupings of stars in our night sky,
04:42 which has been used from as early as our oldest ancestors as a way to tell time,
04:48 to navigate the lands and the seas, and to enrich our cultures through stories.
04:54 From Scorpius, Taurus, to Pegasus, and many more,
04:59 there are symbols projected upon the dome for us to see what our ancestors saw so many years ago.
05:07 How is it?
05:10 Wow, that was crazy.
05:11 That was amazing.
05:12 Yeah, that's something that we always try to give to the people that come here.
05:18 We give them knowledge, but most of all, we give them an amazement of the imagination of science.
05:27 Astronomy is important because it's opened up our minds to our place and our position in the universe.
05:35 And most of all, for kids, for children, it will invite them in the love of science.
05:44 Our little tour of the planetarium brought flashbacks to the first time I saw the stars so clearly in the sky
05:52 and rekindled a sense of awe that I hadn't experienced since I was a child.
05:58 And as we walked out and my eyes began to adjust back to daylight,
06:03 I felt sad that my sense of wonder began to disappear once more.
06:09 But then we reached the final stop of our tour and my inner child appeared once again
06:16 thanks to a telescope located in the planetarium's observatory.
06:22 After the planetarium closed in 2020, the telescope became seldom used.
06:29 But after several years in the darkness, we were about to open its eyes once again.
06:37 And this, you said, came from the 1950s?
06:40 Yes. And installed around early 1970s.
06:47 The technology is actually from the 50s.
06:50 Wow.
06:51 And as we played with the scope, something finally hit me.
07:02 And that is, even though Rehan and his team continue to educate the public on astronomy
07:08 by hosting events and visiting schools,
07:11 nothing can compare to the experience of visiting a planetarium and observatory like this.
07:18 Such places can inspire new generations to pursue studies and careers in the natural sciences
07:25 in a way that perhaps the initiator of this place, Sukarno, had envisioned.
07:31 That is just one of many important reasons why the Jakarta Planetarium and Observatory
07:38 should reopen its doors.
07:41 But for now at least, the star ball will be shut
07:47 and the eye facing the sky will be closed once more.
07:57 Satya Parmeshi and Ludwig Evan foresee today.
08:02 Transcription by ESO; translation by —
08:05 www.subsedit.com
08:08 ESOcast is produced by ESO, the European Southern Observatory.
08:13 ESO, the European Southern Observatory, is the pre-eminent intergovernmental science and technology organisation in astronomy,
08:18 designing, constructing and operating the world's most advanced ground-based telescopes.