Students in Northwestern Ontario no longer have to wait for the sun to set to take a glimpse at the stars.
Science North unveiled a portable planetarium Friday at their Thunder Bay outreach base in the Boys and Girls Club building on Windsor Street.
The planetarium is a large inflatable dome with a digital projection system inside like the permanent planetarium in Sudbury at Science North’s headquarters.
“People just walk in and have a seat in there and it’s as if you were in a permanent planetarium experience,” said Nicole Chiasson, director of education and Northern programs.
Science North has astronomers and scientists developing shows to be projected onto the ceiling of the dome so children can better understand astronomy; all Science North programs are also linked to the provincial school curriculum.
But it all comes down to having fun, said Chiasson.
“We really hope it just turns kids onto science, that they want to pursue their studies in science, that they perhaps consider careers in science,” she said.
Chiasson said the Thunder Bay staff often pack up their science equipment and hit the road to visit schools, festival and fairs across the region.
The planetarium will also travel across Northwestern Ontario.
“We can take it to gymnasiums across the Northwest and really create an immersive space and astronomy experience wherever we visit,” she said.
For more information visit online at sciencenorth.ca.
