SRU’s planetarium began hosting its weekly show this week, with the shows spanning many topics and interests.
Nicole Usner, athletic training major, is one of the many students who runs the weekly shows. User said the shows are very different from week to week.
“We often open the floor for suggestions on what to play,” Usner said. “Not every show pertains to science or space, and often is in the hands of the students.”
User said the planetarium also hosts ‘You Choose Nights’, where the students who run the shows open up the suggestions on Twitter. User said this allows for a democratic way of choosing what to play.
Not many students at Slippery Rock would be able to tell you much, if anything, about the Planetarium. Located in the Vincent Science Center, the planetarium offers weekly shows that span many topics and interests. Not limited to the stunning visual effects that span the intricacies of the Universe, the planetarium offers so much more.
The planetarium has gone through numerous updates throughout the years it has been on campus, and one update last year brought in new technology that updated the capabilities of the planetarium show.
“There originally was one projector that reflected everything,” Usner said. “The new system is made up of 5 projects that make one much larger show.”
The students who run the show are made up of previous attendees of shows, with the ones who show up a lot usually being recruited to help run the weekly events. Majors of those employed vary as well, including physics, marketing and athletic training majors.
While the planetarium is mainly used for educational purposes, it is also used to help students destress during finals week, where the dome screen is used to play video games.
For questions, concerns, or show suggestions, the students who run the planetarium can be contacted at sruplanetarium@gmail.com and on Twitter @sruplanetarium. Planetarium shows are every Tuesday night, from 8 p.m. to 9 p.m.
