Byron Arclight Planetarium and Observatory

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Welcome
to the
Byron Arclight Planetarium and Observatory

Named for a pioneer in interdimensional exploration, the Byron Arclight Planetarium carries on his legacy by allowing a new generation to explore the wonders of the universe. Always open to the public, the planetarium theater hosts bi-weekly shows, ranging from a quick jaunt around our own neighborhood to journeys across time and space, while every other night of the week, the projector will show the procession of the night sky in real time on the theater dome. 

Lobby: Hanging proudly in the center of the lobby is a 9m Foucault pendulum. The Foucault pendulum is a curious object which is used to show the rotation of the Earth--as the Earth spins on it's axis, the pendulum slowly changes direction, making one full rotation per day.

The lobby also houses a number of displays about human exploration of space.

The lobby floor is an exposed aggregate concrete which glows in the dark, taking on the image of the sky above. (To see what other areas have a similar feature, please see [here].




To the right of the lobby is the gift shop and the hallway leading to the planetarium theater. To the left is a large room which may be reserved as a small theater or classroom, and a hallway which leads to the observatory courtyard outside as well as a door into the lower part of the observatory tower.




  


Planetarium: The planetarium seats around 40 people, two rows of ten on each side, circling the projector and framed between the doorway and the control console in the back of the room.

Planetarium hours:
Mon-Fri: 6-10 PM
Sat. & Sun.: 12-10 PM

Shows are every Wednesday and Saturday night, two per night, starting at 7:00 PM and running for 45-60 minutes each. On nights without a show, the planetarium runs a real time procession of the current night sky. Real time images from the observatory telescope may also be shown on request.

Admission to shows is $5 for Adults and $3 for Children. The building is otherwise FREE for use.

Planetarium shows are first come-first serve, so make sure to get there early! The shows playing this month my be found [HERE].






The planetarium houses a regularly stocked gift shop for all your science and space needs. Please stop by and browse our selection of books, clothing, and educational and/or unique toys and games for all ages.




Observatory: The entrance to the observatory is outside and may be reached through the main building and the observatory courtyard, which is primarily an analemmatic sundial. The stairs up to the main room of the observatory are on the outside, however they are lit and heated to prevent accidents in winter.

The main observatory room holds the telescope and most of the controls. However, the bottom floor doubles as storage and a basic control room, for particularly cold or lazy nights. The bottom floor may be reached though a door inside the main building or a very narrow set of steps inside the observatory tower.

The observatory is primarily for use by students or researchers and therefore is only officially open to the public one night a week: Saturday, 9:00 PM to midnight.

Comments

THIS MONTH'S SHOWS ARE:

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Touring the Neighborhood

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Take a trip through the solar system, from the Sun to the far reaches of the Kuiper Belt, stopping by each major object along the way. This tour includes not only the planets but also the major dwarf planets, such as Ceres and Pluto, and the other space debris still orbiting our sun, such as asteroids and comets. This show is meant to be only a brief overview of our nearest neighbors, with more comprehensive shows to come.

Monuments of the Ancients

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For thousands of years, humans have been looking up at the stars and trying to understand what they saw there. Ancient cultures all across the globe created monuments dedicated to what they saw in the sky or as simple observatories to better understand and study what was there. From temples to tombs, simple monoliths to complex calendars, journey around the world to discover the astronomical achievements of our ancestors.

SPECIAL FEATURES: PHOTOLUMINESCENCE

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One very special feature of the planetarium is the high abundance of areas which glow in the dark. This is because of special materials which absorb sunlight during the day and emit that energy back again as light once they're thrown into darkness. In most of these areas, those materials take the form of stones scattered across the ground, creating an effect which mirrors the stars scattered in the sky above. In some places where lines are needed, paint is used as well.



The parking lot has glow stones set throughout the pavement, as well as glow in the dark lines marking parking slots. The gravel pathways to and around the planetarium and the gravel of the courtyard sundial also have stone stones scattered throughout, easily marking the paths at night.




The lobby floor in an exposed aggregate concrete made with a mixture of regular and glow stones. All doorways and walls are also clearly marked with glow in the dark paint, in case of an emergency.




The outdoor observatory stairs are also set with glow stones, raised slightly higher than the concrete for traction. These stones are scattered throughout to form a starry look, but are also set in a dense line at the edges of the steps, to illuminate the stairwell and clearly define each step. The handrail is also painted to glow in the dark.

EMPLOYMENT

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