The Ball State Planetarium began its final season today with the death of a star.
The first two showings, Friday at 7 and 8 p.m. in the Cooper Science Building, attracted more than 70 attendees each. This nearly filled the venue, which seats 75.
"Generally speaking, you should come early because the seats fill fast," said Ronald Kaitchuck planetarium director. "If you show up five to ten minutes before, you won't get a seat."
This first set of shows featured various nebulas that result from novas, specifically one that brightened the sky this past August.
This will mark the planetarium's 47th, and last, set of of fall programs. Starting Fall 2014 a new, larger, planetarium will take it's place.
"This new planetarium is like comparing a race car to a scooter," Kaitchuck said.
The new planetarium will show more than ten million stars where the current one only shows 1,500.
The new planetarium will show more than ten million stars where the current one only shows 1,500.
In addition to being able to view an immense amount of stars, the planetarium will feature a GOTO Chronos II Hybrid Star Projector.
The new projector will allow gazers to not only view stars in the traditional method of lens and mirrors, but allow travel to the rings of Saturn thanks to this digital component that essentially acts as a sophisticated version of Google Earth.
It will require ten computers to render the graphics needed to have the show.
This new planetarium will seat 148 and four wheelchair accessible spaces and will be named the Charles Brown Planetarium after the $2.2 million donor.
After its completion, the planetarium will be the 10th largest amongst universities in the country, second to the one in Chicago, Kaitchuck said.
Taylor Cantrell, a junior history major, said she learns something new every time she goes to the planetarium.
"It's free and I love space because it serves as a reminder of how much you don't know," Cantrell said.
Kaitchuck said the planetarium has been "inspirational and encourages people to read and question more."
"I remember a group of art students who would come in almost every week and I asked them why they kept coming back and they said it was because they found it inspirational to their work," he said.
John Rarick, a member of the Muncie Astronomy Club, said the planetarium has been a source of bonding through his life.
"When I was young my dad and I would come down here and have it be a father-son outing," he said. "Because of that it has become a place of fond members."
The planetarium will run the same programs
7 and 8 p.m. Saturday, as well as
7 and 8 p.m. Sept. 13 and Sept. 14.
