Outside Shanghai Science & Technology Museum 上海科技馆

Today, after we had shopped at the underground Xin Xiang Yang shopping shops, we went up to the outside of Shanghai Science & Technology Museum. Normally Ethan and Ai Yoong are the one who come to this museum often. Mainly because they have one year membership to this museum.

For me this is the first time I have came to this part of the museum surrounding outside. At the back of the museum there is one big structure from ancient time, the Armillary Sphere.

The Armillary Sphere

Introduction plate to this structure

This sphere is an outdoor instrument that is used by ancient Chinese scientist. It is a tool to make the orientation of the horizon, equator and ecliptic coordinate of celestial bodies such as the stars, the sun, the moon and planets and serves as a chronometer to tell years, solar terms days and hours.

Surrounding the Armillary Sphere is the grand Science & Technology Museum building. The building has a main sphere shape portion which serves as the main hall. There are 2 wings at the right and left side of the sphere.

Science & Technology Museum building

The Armillary Sphere is made of steel and richly adorned with carvings of dragon, horse. There are 4 big dragons that form symmetrically holding up a sphere shape ball.

When we visited this site, it was going to rain. The sky was dark and there was wind. Later it rained quite heavily for a period of time. The photo below was captured just before it rained. The Armillary Sphere against dark gloomy sky.