The editor:
Morehead has a brand new planetarium, and it is definitely worthy of attention! It’s in the Morehead State University Space Science Center, located just behind the courthouse, off East Main Street. My family and I have enjoyed events there during the past couple of months, and while we do rather enjoy having the place virtually to ourselves, we’d really like to see this planetarium get the community support that it deserves, so that its public programs will continue. For $2 a show (or $5 for the laser shows), you can spend an hour or so enjoying something that previously would have required a trip out of town, perhaps to Louisville or Cincinnati. This is exciting!
The planetarium has a 40-foot dome theater, which means that the screen extends up and over your head. The seats recline enough to allow you to lean back and watch. When we went to the first public show in September, not only did we get to see a film that originally premiered at the National Air & Space Museum in Washington, D.C., but we were also treated to a virtual tour of the night sky. The software used by the planetarium allows the audience to “fly” to a closer look at outlying planets and portions of the solar system. Then in October we also took advantage of the planetarium to watch early-morning live footage from NASA of the LCROSS mission, when they sent two satellites crashing into the surface of the moon. Was it neat? Absolutely!
Right now it looks like the planetarium is offering one weekend a month to the public, and the schedule can be found at www.moreheadstate.edu/startheater/. I notice that teachers can also schedule programs for their classes, which I personally would have loved when I was in school.
Many people enjoy visiting IMAX theaters or special exhibits out of town, but now we have something comparable in our own backyard! Being so new, it really deserves publicity and lots of people to fill up its seats. It’s a perfect family activity; it’s thrilling for people who look back fondly to high school science classes; and it’s entertaining for people who just want a good show. I think the MSU Space Science Center can add a lot to the community if everybody will just be aware of it! I personally look forward to many more shows and live events there. The next show is this Friday night.
Alisha Trenalone
Clearfield
