As the days become shorter, New Brunswickers have a lot more time to look up at the night’s sky and try and find certain constellations are stars high above them. For those in larger cities, light pollution can make that difficult, and mother nature doesn’t always provide a perfect clear night even for those in rural settings. Science East has unveiled just the solution to give astronomy enthusiasts a chance to explore the galaxy no matter the conditions with its brand new Digitarium Mu 2 mobile planetarium. “The photos are more realistic to modern day when it comes to galaxy, space, planet, stars, all of that stuff,” says Science East program officer Michelle Roy-Brock when comparing the new planetarium to the organizations older model. “The images are clearer so you’re able to see a lot more, it allows us to explore the terrain of different planets, and it really feels like you’re in space exploring in it.” Not only can the planetarium explore the milky way galaxy, it can also provide star gazers a look back at earth in unique ways. That includes different modelling to show where earthquakes have occurred over the past 200 years and can look at the global airspace on any given day to see how many planes are flying around the earth. Roy-Brock says the planetarium itself is about five-metres tall and takes about 30 minutes to inflate similar to a bouncy castle. The average star show is anywhere from 30 to 45 minutes long. She says it is the only mobile planetarium in the province, which allows Science East to travel around New Brunswick to different schools and communities to share the space spirit with others. “One of the challenges that we have here in New Brunswick is that we have so many rural communities, and it’s really hard for those small rural schools to access the same opportunities as other students,” Roy-Brock says. “Public schools are always our focus because we want to give those opportunities to the students, but we also do private bookings for the planetarium.” Retired teacher Donna Doucet Savoie says the planetarium brings you “to a universe you didn’t even know existed.” She says that excitement is even more for students, which provides them both a fun and engaging way to learn about what is beyond earth. “They were so curious about different things that that led into, for me as an educator, saying, ‘Okay where do I go with this,’” says Doucet Savoie. “Creating lesson plants, research projects, that sort of stuff to sort of keep that interest going for them and just igniting that spark that maybe they wouldn’t have had before.” Science subject co-ordinator for New Brunswick’s Anglophone North School District Joey Savoy says the planetarium is a fantastic way to bring things to life for students. “Being from the kind of Miramichi or north shore area, a lot of rural schools that we don’t have the opportunity to visit a lot of things at some of the city schools get,” he points out. “It’s great to have our students experience that as well.” Another prop to the planetarium for sky gazers is the fact mother nature and light pollution can’t wash out the night’s sky. Stéphane Picard, founder and CEO of Cliff Valley Astronomy, specializes in astro-tourism and brings people to see celestial events around the region. He says a lot of people enjoy looking up at the night sky, but without a guide don’t have a good idea of what they are seeing. With the planetarium, people can ask questions about what they are seeing, and get a better look than they would from the ground. “Because light pollution is doubling every ten years, people in larger urban centers do not see the night sky and its natural state,” Picard says. “They’re lucky if they see a handful of stars, but if they go to a place where they can see or go into this device and, see the Milky Way stretch across the sky, or see a rich nebula full of colors and patterns like it just taps into the imagination.” For people looking to learn more about the planetarium, and how to book it for a school or event, can click here. For more New Brunswick news, visit our dedicated provincial page.
