Hong Kong Space Museum opened in 1980 and was an immediate success, especially among children, thanks largely to its fascinating exhibits and the wide range of its mainly hands-on displays.

It has three principal sections: the Hall of Astronomy, the Hall of space science and the combined Planetarium and Omnimax Theatre (the Space Theatre). Most people are tempted by the last, and in particular by the Omnimax Theatre, where special-format films-mostly on space, sport and the natural world-are shown on a huge screen. The Theatre has around seven shows daily (except Tuesday), including some in Cantonese, for which headphone translations are available.

Elsewhere, the exhibits of the Space Science hall include pieces of moon rock, a mock-up of the Space Shuttle and the original Mercury space capsule used by astronaut Scott Carpenter in 1962. A variety of video, push- button and advanced audio-visual displays provides plenty of absorbing and educational tidbits, with a particular emphasis on Chinese contributions to astronomy across the centuries.

Among other things you learn that it was the Chinese who first recorded Halley's comet, were the first to use gunpowder (and thus lay the foundations of rocket science) and the first to map the movement of the heavens.

Other exhibits concentrate on solar science, providing background to phenomena such as sunspots and solar eclipses. There's also the chance to look through a telescope specially adapted for looking at the sun.