( an inside sky-gift: our local planetarium )

( an inside sky-gift: our local planetarium )

by jennifer hetrick

when light pollution and cold keep people from wanting to stare up at the nighttime sky in their own wintery time, the boyertown planetarium is the perfect indoor substitute, fittingly equipped with well-prepared educational programming at the hands of peter detterline who became enamored with the world above in his early childhood.

the boyertown planetarium became an asset to the community and local school district in 1973 when junior high east was built. detterline explained that back then, the state subsidized either a planetarium or pool in new school buildings to make facilities more unique and valuable.

as a result, pennsylvania has more planetariums than other states, given schools taking advantage of the opportunity made available to them decades ago.

many of those who grew up within the boyertown area school district remember taking field trips to the planetarium throughout their elementary years. school programming is a large portion of how the planetarium is kept active. outside schools and organizations are also welcome to make requests to visit for educational shows.

detterline offers shows to the public during a few evenings per month. upcoming shows in february include a starwatch scheduled for monday, february 7th at 7.00 p.m. and other worlds slated for friday, february 25th at 7.00 p.m.

other worlds is a special show planned to coincide with the timeframe of when nasa's kepler spacecraft team will be announcing the discovery of earth-like and similarly sized worlds around star systems outside of the milky way galaxy.

throughout a year’s time, detterline hosts around 45 differently themed shows. just a few of the programs detterline formulates are animal migration, constellations, day & night, egyptian mythology, greek mythology, native american mythology, sensory writing, and stonehenge.

detterline is happy to develop custom programs at the request of classes or groups when possible, especially to work in line with classroom curriculum. he pointed out that the planetarium is also often the home to multi-disciplinary learning.

( a view inside of the planetarium before it’s been made to

 emulate the nighttime sky. photograph courtesy of peter detterline )

each program at the planetarium is live and interactive, never taped, which detterline said is unique today. when not operating the planetarium in gilbertsville at the junior high, he is teaching astronomy at the high school or at kutztown university.

detterline noted that many planetariums today are digital, as is the one he uses to teach at kutztown university. boyertown planetarium’s system is mechanical and original, but detterline said it has its advantages and sometimes looks more real in its projections than digital imagery does.

    

during starwatch shows, when weather permits, detterline wheels out several telescopes into the back parking lot and allows audience members to use them to search for stars and planets. the planetarium’s largest telescope is about the size of a water heater, he said. with public show admission costs of $4.00 for adults and $2.50 for students and children, these fees seem tiny considering the opportunity to use expensive telescopic equipment to see the nighttime sky up close, as a night out on the town.

     

one show yet without a set date is about the space shuttle. with its first launch and mission in 1981, sometime in the next few months, it will take its 134^th and final mission. nasa hasn’t announced this yet, but once it does, detterline intends to run a program in honor of the space shuttle, detailing its history and the advantages of knowledge it has brought to us as a country and to the world too.

     

detterline said that as a teaching tool, the planetarium itself is unparalleled. the visual components and his voice clearly sewn of a passion for astronomy and its related science arenas serve to complement the educational programming unique to the planetarium, illustrating its value to area residents in mingling education and entertainment all in one.

     

although many people believe the north star, or polaris, is the brightest star in the nighttime sky, detterline revealed that sirius is actually the most light-provoking in our human view. but detterline noted that the north star is still incredibly important, as it signifies the topmost of cardinal directions.

     

detterline admitted that just looking at the sky sky reworks his moods for the better and puts him in awe. the beauty of the nighttime sky captivates him, and in his au revoirs, he regularly encourages people to remember to look upward.

     

he first fell in love with the sky’s expanse while camping with his family during first grade, and since then, his interest and appreciation for it has only multiplied, especially taking hold all the more when he became the boyertown planetarium’s director in 1982.

     

“it makes you humble and puts things into perspective,” detterline said about letting our eyes skim the sky.

     

and if you couldn’t guess, his favorite planet is our home of earth.

     

to find out about upcoming planetarium shows, visit its website.