FORT WAYNE, Ind. (WFFT) – Northeast Indiana’s only public planetarium is now open!
Science Central cut the ribbon on their brand new planetarium Wednesday, which has been under construction for nearly three years.
“You know, it’s been a literal countdown here internally. So now that it’s here, it’s kind of like one of those things where you want to soak in the moment because you’ve worked towards it,” Science Central Executive Director Mandee Mikulski explains.
“I truly can’t explain in words how excited I am,” Sarah Vise says. Vise is the planetarium manager and Science On a Sphere manager for Science Central. “I’ve wanted to do this for the last 11 years of my life, and I came from Muncie from Fort Wayne to do this. I’ve been working here for 6 years, and I finally made it! That is just a dream come true.”
The 1,830-square foot planetarium is built to seat 40-50 guests. It is topped by a 21-foot high, 28-foot wide dome and is equipped with a Digistar digital projection system.
“Similar to the universe, our potential with the planetarium is ever-expanding,” Vise explains. “We can do whatever we want to in this room!”
The planetarium also features a Spitz A4 starball projector donated by the University of Saint Francis. This projector continues the legacy of the former Edwin Clark Schouweiler Memorial Planetarium.
“It was installed there in 1972. Unfortunately, they closed their doors in 2016. Very soon after they closed their doors, they decided to donate it to us,” Vise explains.
The planetarium will feature multiple daily demonstrations starting on Thursday, March 26. A lecture series is set to begin later this week featuring Dr. Avery Archer, a physics and astronomy professor at DePauw University. Museum hours will also be extended until 7 PM for the first Friday of each month to allow for laser light shows and other exclusive planetarium events.
“Because it is such an immersive experience, I want everyone to be able to come in here. Even if you’re not interested in learning about astronomy,” Vise explains
“[Sarah] had a dream to run a planetarium, and now she’s doing it, and I am just so inspired by that,” Mikulski says.
You can find more information about the planetarium and its scheduled events here.
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