Spaced Out: Visiting The Planetarium

People sit around the edge of the University of Washington planetarium looking up at the night sky on a giant screen.

The Phase I DO-IT Scholars had the opportunity to go the Physics and Astronomy Department at UW to check out the planetarium and to explore the far reaches of the galaxies without using a telescope.

An interesting sight to see before entering the planetarium was the pendulum that moves with the earth's motion. Next was the sphere shaped room with laid-back chairs for us to look up at the sky. This activity opened up a great opportunity to gaze under the "stars" while having the comfort of being indoors.

It was fascinating looking beyond our own galaxies and to get personal with the planets in our solar system. We learned about the stars' constellations and about the stories behind them.