Staff at UW’s Harry C. Vaughn planetarium work to create interesting stories and present information about the night sky, a task that takes careful planning, research, and creativity.
Sometimes the shows focus on things like the Wyoming night sky, and other times the presenters get more free reign to explore different storylines.
“Usually, we start with a brief description of a show concept and go from there. Sometimes the show is on recent events in astronomy, and sometimes the show is about stuff visitors would find interesting like alien life or black holes,” Planetarium worker Caleb Eastlund said.
“We are also expected to be good public speakers and be able to handle either not knowing things or answering questions to the best of our ability at an understanding level of any age,” Planetarium worker Corinne Komlodi said.
The staff learn how to program different aspects of the sky onto the dome in the planetarium, including what the sky looks like from Laramie.
“I love doing the Wyoming Skies shows that tell the stories in the stars,” Komlodi said.
“The job entails knowing the system of the planetarium and doing research for each show so that we are as educated about the subject as possible,” Komlodi said.
The planetarium features digital presentations that explore constellations, planets, and other events in the night sky.
“We get a lot of kids that come visit or even just people that might not know a lot about space, so we have to challenge ourselves to find new and engaging ways to explain things,” Eastlund said.
For Komlodi, the reactions from the audience can make or break a show.
“When we don’t have an interactive or excited audience, we can feel bummed, and it makes it hard to make the show feel inclusive and exciting,” Komlodi said.
If the sky is clear, some of the shows also include a trip to the Student Training And Research (S.T.A.R.) observatory on top of the physical sciences building.
“We guide visitors through the night sky and let them see space with their own eyes,” Eastlund said.
Eastlund said working at the planetarium gave him a new perspective that he hadn’t experienced in his astronomy classes.
“I learned a lot from those classes, but the planetarium really helped me come back to Earth and look up. Learning the constellations and their stories was something I never really got before, and I am enjoying every second of it,” Eastlund said.
“My favorite part of my job is being able to share my love of space with as many people as I can,” Eastlund said. “I hope that anyone visiting the planetarium will leave feeling the same wonder and excitement that got me into astronomy in the first place.”
