Sit back and take a journey into intergalactic space as SciTech Now takes you to the Scobee Planetarium, which was recently revamped with a dynamic state-of-the-art surround sound system and projector. What was once the scene of a nostalgic childhood time hop has now become the ultra-hip Friday night-out.
The dome-shaped structure of the Scobee Planetarium has been a staple to San Antonio since 1961– a yearly field trip many students looked forward to back when black holes, stars, planets and distant galaxies seemed out of reach that mere thoughts of their existence sounded like something straight out of a sci-fi movie.
Fast forward to 2017 and the planetarium still remains as informative as ever. The planetarium has gained new audiences touching base with their inner geek, who are eager to dive into a lineup of films full of cosmos and stars, complete with a digital surround sound experience all while being in the midst of a new learning center and rooftop star deck and observatory.
"In the new planetarium, we can act as a connection to the universe... It is not your grandfather's planetarium anymore. Now we have this amazing technology that can fly you into black holes or zoom you through outer space," said Planetarium Coordinator Bob Kelley.
Daily field trip presentations of the planetarium are hosted for schools and communities across the city. Other uses of the planetarium include corporate team building and special event facility rental. But it’s Friday nights that are now reserved for the public. Shows start at 6:30 p.m. (family showing) and end at 9 p.m., typically followed by an observatory deck tour if weather permits.
Watch this episode of SciTech Now airing Friday, Jan. 13 at 7:30 p.m. on KLRN.
