In the Physical Science building there is a Planetarium, which is a domed theater, where students, faculty, staff and the public may look at the stars.
“This semester has been rough,” said the operator of the Planetarium Max Gilbraith. “Due to in person classes starting so late, usually the Planetarium is a good tool used at the beginning of the intro to astronomy courses and so at this point we haven’t gotten the same utilization we would like from the faculty.”
No classes or UW personnel have used the Planetarium this semester as they usually do according to Gilbraith. There have been private showings to the public making up for loss business from the school.
“I’ve been surprised actually that we have gotten so much interest. It’s usually two or three private shows a week,” said Gilbraith. “It’s usually groups of homeschool, joint daycares and stuff like that, so yeah we’ll see maybe 30 or so people every week.”
With the university’s COVID-19 guidelines and social distancing requirements, the Planetarium switched to private showings, which can be booked ahead of time, so individuals may still use the domed theater.
”It was a mix of what the state rules allowed and obviously the campus rules are stricter than that,” said Gilbraith. “The easiest way to accommodate that was with a private show (booking system).”
According to Gilbraith, a few things will stick around in the Planetarium after COVID-19.
“Things that will stick around are definitely our online outreach,” said Gilbraith. “Additionally we have gotten some upgrades now. Hopefully we can invite more departments across the campus in. We have got a lot of features relating to chemistry, biology, and even engineering.”
A ticket for a private show is $5 for adults and is “cheaper than going to the movies” according to Gilbraith.
A private showing can be booked via email or phone call. The contact information can be found on the Planetarium’s website here: http://www.uwyo.edu/physics/planetarium/.
