 |
Home :: Employment :: Duck Football Parking :: E- Newsletter :: Contact Us |
|
||
|
 |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
 |
 |
OUR PLANETARIUM MISSION: TO BOLDLY GO FULL-DOME! See shows in the EXPLORATION DOME Starting Saturday, January 30th: Imagine navigating through the brain as part of a virtual voyage through the human body, living through an ice age after a mass extinction event, navigating the deep ocean, or experiencing a rocket launch as you travel to space as an astronaut! It’s coming to your Science Factory! That’s right, the Science Factory Exploration Dome, coming this February, will deliver truly immersive virtual adventures that will engage all the senses, making it a highly rewarding and powerful educational experience, one that will connect with children on the latest technological level and inspire our next generation of local scientists. But, how will we get there? Our journey began when the current star projector system was installed more than 30 years ago. Since then, hundreds of thousands of children and families have enjoyed the astronomy shows created with this equipment. Now the time has come for a bold, technological leap forward. The current system is outdated, unreliable, increasingly expensive to repair and maintain, and incompatible with timely new programming available to dome theaters today. In order to preserve and enhance the Planetarium programs, the Science Factory Board of Directors has launched the Exploration Dome Campaign and set a fundraising goal of $300,000 to raise the necessary funds to cover this essential upgrade. The campaign will cover the costs of the new equipment, the facility construction, the development of educational programming, and the acquisition of state-ofthe-art science shows created for full-dome technology. Thanks to a growing cadre of donors and grantors, and the Board’s commitment to the Science Factory mission, the Planetarium is about to go FULL-DOME! On January 30, we will unveil the upgraded “Exploration Dome.” The Exploration Dome will boast a Mediaglobe-II full-dome digital projector, capable of displaying the most advanced CG technology, a state-of-the-art surround sound system, and enhanced lighting. Upgrade construction includes repositioning the existing seats, and creating a stage area for lecture demonstrations and meetings. The new projector will be a fraction of the size of the current projector, offering unobstructed views of the entire dome and transforming the theater into a unique multi-purpose facility. The Exploration Dome will be the second largest indoor full-dome theater in the Pacific Northwest, and one of only a handful in Oregon, making its programs a vital resource for Eugene-Springfield, Lane County and surrounding rural communities. The new system will give us the capacity to present up to 35 star and full-dome video shows weekly. Perhaps more exciting, we will now be able to present a variety of science programs, rather than limiting our offerings to astronomy alone. We anticipate the added shows and diverse programming will make the Exploration Dome a popular landing place for our members, local families and school field trips.
 Friday and Saturday evening: 7:30 pm Saturday and Sunday: 11 am, 12:30 pm, 2:30 pm This 20-minute show gives audiences a wonderful introduction to the winter night sky and the stars, constellations and related stories. By the end you’ll be able to host your own star-gazing parties, identify all the major sky players and tell stories about them!  Friday and Saturday evening: 8 pm Saturday and Sunday: 11:30 am, 2 pm Astronaut, takes you from earth into outer space, and beyond. What does it take to become an astronaut? Immersed with “Chad,” a test astronaut, you too will experience every challenge space has to throw at him, from floating around the International Space Station to maneuvering through microscopic regions of the human body. Presented in stunning high-definition 360-degree full dome video and explosive surround sound, Astronaut takes you out of this world! Astronaut is a production of the National Space Center, distributed by SkyScan, Inc.  Friday and Saturday evening: 7 pm Saturday and Sunday: 3 pm This traditionally animated full-dome movie features the stories of Orion, the great hunter of the winter sky, and explores the stars and deep sky objects of Orion and other well-known northern sky constellations, such as the Big Dipper, Sirius and Scorpio. The audience will learn all about constellations, and discover their origins as well as the myths, stories and legends that were developed by ancient cultures to remember them.  Saturday and Sunday: 1 pm This 40-minute show is a live interactive presentation of the stars, constellations and planets and other astronomical delights visible in the sky on the specific night of the show. Audience members will be invited to ask questions in this more in-depth exploration of the winter night sky specific to the day in Oregon. Find out all about tonight’s sky from an expert! Sue Peterson is the Planetarium Director at the Science Factory. Robbie Carter and Tamela Maciel are Physics students at UO and Science Factory volunteers. |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
 |
|
|
