The newly renovated was the star this past weekend on campus. The first open house for the new facility attracted more than a hundred visitors, selling out all five showings from 2 to 4 p.m. on Sunday.
The opening of the planetarium even caught the attention of . , chair of the at UMSL, spoke about the planetarium’s importance to students and the community in the station’s preview of the open house.
“I did a school project in fifth grade on the life cycle of stars, and I was hooked,” Gibb told St. Louis Public Radio. “That’s why it’s so important to get these elementary school and middle school kids in because they’re so excited about science. If you can get them hooked at that age, you know, maybe a few of them will stick with it and go on to make discoveries.”
The $250,000 renovation includes a brand new projector and all new seating and carpet. In addition to , the planetarium will be used for astronomy and astrophysics courses at UMSL. are free and open to the public.
Reviewed 2015-10-20