Astronomers, parents, and educators want UofL to reopen the planetarium to the public
The planetarium on the Belknap campus used to host students for field trips throughout the year, but it has been closed to the public since the start of the COVID-19 Astronomers, parents, and educators are urging the University of Louisville's campus to reopen its planetarium after a four-year closure. The planetarium on the Belknap campus, which used to host thousands of local students for field trips, has been closed to the public since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. Benne Holwerda, a UofL associate professor of physics, uses the planetarium for 100 level classes like introduction to astronomy and sees about a couple hundred college-aged students a semester. Homeschool teacher Gina Hilton, a homeschool teacher in southern Indiana, would also use the space if it reopened. The nearest planetariums around Louisville are the Children's Museum in Indianapolis and Northern Kentucky University.
Published : a month ago by Molly Jett in Science
LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- Astronomers, parents, and educators are asking for the planetarium on the University of Louisville's campus to reopen after a four-year closure.
The planetarium on the Belknap campus used to host thousands of local students for field trips each year, but it has been closed to the public since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020.
Benne Holwerda, a UofL associate professor of physics, uses the planetarium for 100 level classes like introduction to astronomy. He says now the space sees about a couple hundred college-aged students a each semester.
"You could show rather than tell," Holwerda said. "It's such a good space to link astronomy and what you see in the sky to actual physics."
Holwerda said the planetarium had around 10,000 local students visit each year.
"All kinds of groups, all kinds of places, it was pretty straightforward for the school to load up the kids, come here and have a fun show," Holwerda said. "It's a fun place to work. So if you want to make astronomy come to life, this is the place to go."
Gina Hilton, a homeschool teacher in southern Indiana, would utilize the planetarium if it reopened.
"I only knew that it was closed because other homeschoolers in the community have tried to set up field trips, and they've been told that it's closed. So I mean, people are interested in it, people are looking into it," Hilton said.
As a child, Hilton went on school field trips to the Gheens Science Hall & Rauch Planetarium. Now she wishes her students had the same opportunity.
"We've lost a four years of children learning about that through visual. Visual learning is important," Hilton said.
The two want these seats filled by grade-school aged students and the public again. Currently the nearest planetariums around Louisville are the Children's Museum in Indianapolis and Northern Kentucky University.
"It just doesn't make sense when everything else, all the other museums and things like that have opened up since the pandemic," Hilton said.
Holwerda says it's a missed opportunity ahead of the solar eclipse on April 8th.
"It's a pretty fantastic opportunity to attract students, to show how fun the campus is and a place for higher learning," Holwerda said.
Right now, Holwerda's "Reopen the Raunch Planetarium for Public and School Use" petition has more than 3,200 signatures. He is hoping for 5,000 signatures.
"You hear people say, 'Oh yeah, my grandma took me to the planetarium and this is how I got the idea to go to study astronomy.' And that student is now working for NASA. That path starts here," Holwerda said.
University of Louisville spokesperson John Karman said the provost is working with academic units to determine its future. Karman said a decision is expected this summer.
"I'm glad that they're discussing it because I think it's definitely a needed in the area for any of the school children within the Louisville Metro area," Hilton said. "To be able to visit a planetarium and to help those children if they want to become future astronomers. I hope that they can resolve that issue," Hilton said.
Holwerda believes UofL needs someone to run the planetarium.
In the past, the planetarium was used as an event space. Some couples, like Mr. & Mrs. Clinton Brooks, said "I do" under the stars in 2017.
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