The Abrams Planetarium had its first show of the fall, “Hello, Universe,” on Sept. 19, showcasing a new projection system.
Attendees said “Hello, Universe” was as engaging as it was informative. Director of the show Shannon Schmoll, who served as the tour guide, explained the backstories of various constellations, such as Cassiopeia, the Big Dipper and Scorpius.
The audience was able to virtually visit each of the planets and learn a little bit about all of them.
Included in the system are new, color-accurate projectors.
Schmoll said she loved working at the planetarium and was very excited about its first public show.
“I get to play with the universe every day,” Schmoll said. “Nobody gets to really say that.”
Schmoll said that Friday’s show was an hour-long tour of the universe.
“It’s completely live and it’s also going to hopefully show off our new system that we just upgraded to,” she said.
Biological sciences interdepartment senior Amanda Guibord visited the planetarium for the first time Friday.
She said she didn’t know much about the show but was excited.
“I’m just curious, I really liked going to the planetarium when I was a kid with field trips,” she said.
The show took place in the Sky Theater, which is a dome-shaped room that features 140 reclined seats. Leading into the Sky Theater is the Blacklight Gallery, a dark curving hallway where paintings of intergalactic landscapes are displayed. According to the planetarium’s website, the paintings are “created in fluorescent paints and lit by ultraviolet lights.”
Towards the end of the show, Schmoll asked the audience if they felt small and insignificant compared to the vastness of space.
Schmoll then countered her questions about human significance by pointing out the capabilities of people, saying all we need is brain power and light from other planets to learn about space.
“We don’t need fancy spacecraft to learn about the universe,” Schmoll said.
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