As the lights dimmed and the star projector illuminated the night sky, the empty BGSU planetarium’s showing of Galileo — the Power of the Telescope, depicted the life of the Italian inventor and his impact on the celestial universe.
With a seating capacity of 118 occupants, the BGSU planetarium was built in the spring of 1983, and has been connecting students to the sky ever since.
According to the planetarium’s program guide, a planetarium is a 40-foot wide theater of the universe. It uses images to incorporate multimedia narration to reveal the wonders of the cosmos in an educational and informative way.
Dr. Dale W. Smith, professor of physics and astronomy, director at the BGSU planetarium, said it is essential to experience the power of the galaxy.
“To see the night sky is to touch the world,” Smith said. “We have lost this world to neon signs. The planetarium will help you rediscover the night sky and the universe beyond, which we are a part of.”
The planetarium uses a Minolta star projector to recreate the night sky, and a star gazing production is shown before every presentation. Now the only star projector in Ohio, the University’s total expense for the entire projection system is roughly around $400,000, Smith said.
“With everything, the building and all, the planetarium is valued at several hundred thousand dollars,” Smith said. “We’ve been pretty slow these last couple of weekdays, but hopefully attendance starts to pick up later on in the semester. If the weather doesn’t cooperate, not many people turn out.”
A.J. Helfen is a physics major and a senior at BGSU. He is the counsel operator for many of the planetariums productions, and uses his love of astronomy to motivate other students to get involved with the planetarium.
“I manage the controls partly for fun … because I love astronomy,” Helfen said. “I also work on the star gaze staff. All the freshmen students are required to attend a star gaze over the course of the semester. We take them up to the roof of the building and use telescopes to check out some constellations and planets.”
The star gazing sessions are five nights a week, Monday through Thursday, and students do not have to be enrolled in an astronomy class to participate. New shows are added to the planetarium’s program regularly throughout the semester.
Galileo — the Power of the Telescope, will play through March 5, and again on March 16 through March 26. There is no admission fee, but $1 donations are appreciated.