Looking to the Stars

Have you ever wondered what it was like to be up in space, surrounded by an infinite amount of stars?

While only a few people have managed that since America’s space race began, there is an easier way for ordinary people to reach for the stars.

At the Museum of the Southwest’s newly renovated planetarium, set to reopen in the fall, visitors will be able to sit underneath a full dome that shows 360 degrees of the night sky projected by the Scidome projection system.

“It’s a total immersion system,” Tom Jones said.  “You’ll feel like you’re actually there in space.”

Jones, the executive director of the museum, said the planetarium features a tilted dome and stepped seating to get the full effect of being in outer space.

Gene Hardy, director of the planetarium, said it is a far more realistic experience than any IMAX show.

“It is a high definition show that no one else is doing right now,” Hardy said.  “It’s like nothing you’ve ever seen before.”

The Scidome is just part of the museum’s efforts to update the planetarium and bring it into the 21st century. 

The planetarium will also feature a fully equipped education wing and a permanent interactive space science exhibition.

“We’ve been working on it for a couple of years, and it’s finally coming into existence,” Hardy said.  “It’s education far beyond anything seen in the area before. We’re trying to get the kids interested in math and science.”

And the museum is looking for all sorts of new ways to get kids excited about science.

The interactive exhibit will feature 13 stations where kids and families can find out more about the solar system, deep space and how space impacts life on earth, Jones said.

The classrooms will also feature state-of-the-art technology including a computer feed that will enable classes visiting the museum to engage in real-time videoconferences to scientists at the McDonald Observatory in the Davis Mountains, Jones said.

“I think it’s going to provide a tremendous incentive for the kids when they are able to interact with astronomers and science teachers,” Hardy said. “We’re trying to make education interesting.”