Event III: The Planetarium

Santa Fe College's planetarium houses a sophisticated machine that can show you Florida skies the day you were born and the day you're gonna day.

For the final event I attended the Santa Fe College Planetarium, the Kika Silva Pla Planetarium. To my surprise, it was very entertaining and VERY comforting and serene. I've been to a planetarium before, back home in Miami only once; however, this planetarium was more personal and felt one-to-one basis.

Although I really want to elaborate on the beauty of the show that was presented inside the dome-shaped room, it was such a relaxing experience that I remember key things: darkness, stars, lines, and sleep...lots of sleep. The lead told us that it was normal for people to attend the planetarium and fall asleep because it is so relaxing; he's even admitted to falling asleep in some himself which is very reassuring and doesn't make you feel as bad for taking a quick nap in the complete darkness.

What was really interesting was that the lead asked the audience if anyone wanted to see important dates and the night sky that pertains to that specific day; I asked to see the night of my birth: December 10, 1998. What caught my attention, as the lead presenter explained, was the alignment of the planet Venus with the Sun. According to him, the specific alignment of Venus with the Sun occurs only once every eight years and means prosperity and richness (a good sign apparently???)

The picture above is the instrument that allowed us to see Florida night skies. "Cost[ing] more than [the leads] house", as he described it, the expensive machine projects (through its multiple lenses) lights that mimic night skies in Florida. It displays the Sun and all 7 planets as well as constellations such as Orion's belt and the big dipper (he mentioned more but I don't remember most of them because of their complicated history and backstory). He, the lead presenter, discussed all kinds of constellations and how the stars in the sky would lead individuals in certain societies in the past towards specific destinations or tell stories of their design. He later explained that the light traveling in space varies in time, therefore the light being emitted from a specific star might be 8 years old, meaning what we see is actually the star but 8 years in the past. In other words, if a planet or star exploded, we wouldn't know because of the speed and way light travels, making it a delayed reaction.

Additionally, the lead described the way longitude and latitude works in the night sky and how astronomers use it to find specific stars or look at certain directions. It also helps for telling the time of day such as PM and AM (which he explained stand for Post-meridian and Anti-meridian). Overall, the experience was nice and educational. It was insightful and intriguing to view the night sky from the perspective of an astronomer and fanatic of the constellations and night sky.