Issue Date: 10/26/09
School's future looking (way) up
New planetarium planned to open in fall 2011
By Asako Sasaki
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If everything goes according to plan, the planetarium will be open to students and to the public during the fall semester of that year.
The old planetarium, built in 1965, was located in the Science Quad before being destroyed in 2008, the new one will be located between the Natural Science building and the library.
The planetarium is part of the renovations being paid for through Prop M money.Â
Prop M was a measure approved by voters in 2006. According to an e-mail from Mark Lane, Palomar professor and the director of the planetarium, the total funds from Prop M are $6.8 million.
However, the planetarium will need some fund raising of $1.5 million more to cover the expenses of the equipment.Â
Palomar's planetarium was the only planetarium in the California Community College system when it was built, and was the only public planetarium in North County San Diego.
Nearly a quarter of a million visitors enjoyed the celestial views and educational shows that the planetarium had offered.
Following the conclusion of the Spring 2008 semester and 43 years of operation, the planetarium was closed.
According to the Palomar planetarium's Web site, the new planetarium will have a modern appearance such as a transparent front. Â
Lane said, "The biggest differences between the old and new planetarium are that the new venue will hold nearly twice as many people as the old one."
"The technology of the new planetarium will be very modern and state-of-the-art compared to the dated technology of the old planetarium," he added.
"This will allow us to entertain a larger audience with a more dynamic show demonstrating some of the very latest ways to visualize the universe," said Lane.
Currently, students are taking astronomy classes in the Natural Science building. The new planetarium will offer students taking astronomy classes a realistic presentation of the ideas discussed in class.
Instead of looking at images on a screen, students in the new star theater will be able to see a realistic showing of the concepts taught in class. There will be shows offered to the public, for these shows a discounted price is offered and extra credit can be earned for some classes.
According to Lane, the shows will have many astronomy-related topics and will be narrated with many special effects.
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