Hayabusa Back to the Earth at the National Planetarium

09 May 2017

Today marked the start of the new show schedule for the week  at the National Planetarium.  Last week, we were fortunate that we were able to watch "Journey to a Billion Suns" twice in a day when the National Planetarium released the news that they were extending their free entrance policy for the month of May.

Though we missed the first two showings of "A Planet for Goldilocks" we were just in time to watch the show, "Hayabusa Back to the Earth".












For this week (May 09 - 13), there are two morning shows of "A Planet for Goldilocks" and the rest of the shows are of "Hayabusa Back to the Earth".  On Sunday, you can still catch a 10AM show of "A Planet for Goldilocks" and a 2PM show of "Hayabusa Back to the Earth".

Courtesy of the National Museum of the Philippines

Due to time constraints, we weren't able to catch the morning shows and we arrived at 12NN for the 1PM screening of "Hayabusa".  I was a bit worried about parking spaces because if there were a lot of people arriving with their cars, there may not be enough space for us to park ours.  But I guess we arrived at just the right time because there were enough parking slots.  However, there was already a long line forming, about 40-50 people, by the time we arrived and more were coming in through the gates.

While we were in line to register and get our ticket, I asked Dana to carry our bags (including our phones) and deposit them at the baggage counter.  That way, we won't have to bother with them after registering and simply just wait to get in.  We knew from our previous trip that it can take a while to deposit our bags so you might end up at the back of the line.  It's not a big deal because everyone is sure to get a seat.  The problem is that if you end up in the back of the line, you won't get the best seats in the dome.  :)

We were seated around 12:30PM.  I went to the bathroom first while waiting for the seats to be filled.  They won't allow you to leave once the show starts so I didn't want to get into a situation where I have to hold it in hehe What if I can't? hahaha

I was surprised that today, all the seats were full!  The first time we came here, not even half the seats were occupied.  It was probably because everyone was still waiting for the announcement from the National Museum about the extension of their Free Entrance program and only the people closer to the National Planetarium were able to go as soon as the announcement was released (Just like us!) :)

To be honest, Dylan and I enjoyed this show more than "Journey to a Billion Suns".   "Hayabusa Back to the Earth" is about a Japanese probe that was launched into space to collect samples from an asteroid called Itokawa.  That in itself is already interesting.  There's a story to be told and the way it was told was easy to understand especially for kids.  "Journey" was a bit difficult to appreciate because it talked about mathematical equations and theories in relation to discoveries about our galaxy.

We have to watch "A Planet for Goldilocks" to complete our experience!

Make sure that you arrive at least an hour before the show starts if you want to get in first and get the best seats.  Bring an umbrella especially if you're watching in the afternoon because it can get hot while standing in line.

Again, thanks National Museum and National Planetarium for opening your gates for FREE! :)