The U.S. National Science Foundation National Radio Astronomy Observatory (NSF NRAO) took the Observatory’s new portable Starlab planetarium on its debut outreach to the To’hajiilee Community School, a part of the Navajo Nation, located 30 minutes west of Albuquerque, New Mexico. This event was not only the debut for the mobile planetarium, but for the NSF NRAO’s new Senior Public Education Officer, Jason Schreiner, who joined the NSF NRAO’s Education and Public Outreach (EPO) team after serving as Planetarium Coordinator for the Museum of Arts and Sciences in Daytona Beach, Florida.
The school reached out to the NSF NRAO’s EPO team to add some extra entertainment to their family holiday celebration. With the help of NSF NRAO Public Information Officer Corrina Jaramillo Feldman, the planetarium was deployed in the school’s gymnasium for an evening of astronomy fun. An imposing figure, the blow-up dome elicited curiosity from guests at first glance.
Upon entering the fully inflated dome, Schreiner treated the families to a guided voyage through space. The powerful Starlab projector brightly displayed the Universe on the ceiling and walls. Dozens of students, parents and teachers reclined for a tour of our Solar System, with dazzling, close-up views of the Sun and planets. Saturn and dwarf planet Pluto were the stand-out favorites.
“This outreach is just the first of many to come,” added Schreiner, who will share the NSF NRAO’s education opportunities with communities in New Mexico. Educators and community leaders interested in learning more about the NSF NRAO’s resources can contact STEAMEd@nrao.edu.
The mobile planetarium was made possible thanks to the support of the Very Large Array Membership Program: Join or renew your membership.
