by Max Marbut
Staff Writer
After being closed for more than two months, the new Bryan-Gooding Planetarium at the Museum of Science & History will celebrate its official grand opening Thursday.
Since it’s Veterans Day, former and active duty military personnel will be admitted to the museum for free Thursday to check out the new planetarium and the museum’s exhibits.
The reason the space was dark since Aug. 23 is that there has been a complete redesign of the planetarium from the seats on the floor to the shows projected on the 60-foot dome above.
The centerpiece of the new auditorium is a state-of-the-art Konica Minolta star projector. It offers high-definition television-quality effects and a much wider range of planetarium programming than has been available at the museum.
“We’re able to expand the educational opportunities at the museum, especially for young children. The new programs can instantly engage them because they are entertaining,” said Kristi Taylor, MOSH communications manager.
Traditional planetarium programs also are on the schedule and the new projector and digital sound system will really be put to work when the “Cosmic Concerts” return to MOSH with a preview party Friday evening.
The party starts at 6 p.m. with live music by The Druids. At 9 p.m. the Led Zeppelin Cosmic Concert debuts, followed by “Pink Floyd: Dark Side of the Moon” at 10 p.m. and “Pink Floyd: Best of The Wall” at 11 p.m.
Also, the museum’s rooftop meeting area will be open for stargazing. Tickets are $20 per person, including one drink ticket, and are available at www.themosh.org. Tickets also will be available at the museum Friday evening.
Regular Friday night Cosmic Concerts will begin Nov. 19 with show times at 5, 6, 7 and 8 p.m. Admission is $5 per person.
Saturday at 2 p.m., NASA Aerospace Technology Engineer Antonio Pego will present a lecture, “NASA’s Role in Astronomy,” in the planetarium. A limited number of tickets to the lecture, based on auditorium capacity, will be free with museum admission.
Sunday at 2 p.m., Mike Reynolds, dean of liberal arts and sciences at Florida State College at Jacksonville, will host a presentation about the Hubble telescope’s discoveries. Admission for the lecture is free with museum admission. Tickets are available on a first-come, first-served basis.
“Music Under the Stars” is scheduled from 6-10 p.m. Nov. 18. Following a presentation in the planetarium about the stars that shine over Jacksonville, guests will take the elevator to the roof for stargazing and music provided by musicians from the Friday Musicale. Tickets are $10 per person.
Taylor said the reaction so far to the new planetarium, which has been experienced by students on field trips, has been extremely positive and she’s looking forward to the reactions from people who have been attending programs for years.
“It’s as good as it gets. It’s like nothing they have ever seen before,” said Taylor.
For more details about the Bryan-Gooding Planetarium, visit www.moshplanetarium.org. or call 396-6674.
356-2466