Planetarium Field Trips
Skyler Powers
A couple of weeks ago, a select group of freshman Earth Science classes took a series of field trips to the planetarium in Bowers Hall at SUNY Cortland. The planetarium, along with the rest of Bowers Hall, was recently renovated from top to bottom. Taking advantage of the free source of education nearby, my class was one of the ones to go.
Upon arriving at Bowers Hall, we were introduced to Professor Emam, the physics professor at SUNY Cortland. Filing into the dome-shaped planetarium, we relaxed in the comfortable chairs. The first part of the planetarium show was a twenty minute movie about the creation of the universe and everything in it. The animations and simulations were great and the dome-shaped projection screen added to the experience. It really made you feel as if you were flying through the cosmos.
The great movie was followed up by a presentation from Professor Emam himself. We were walked through the creation of the universe in detail and given some interesting facts on unique features of our galaxy and the universe it is in. One of these features was the beautiful “Pillars of Creation” where stars are constantly being born. Again, the computer simulations of the “pillars” was great considering we have no definite idea of what they actually look like. We were then given fascinating information on our galaxy, the Milky Way. Lastly, Professor Emam gave us the characteristics of each planet in our solar system and touched on the other objects flying through our solar system such as comets and asteroid belts.
The visit was finished off with a mind-boggling presentation on blackholes. Professor Emam even showed us a simulation of a spaceship getting sucked into a blackhole and what it would theoretically look like if it were possible to survive a black hole expedition.
Overall, the planetarium was a great educational experience for us. The presentations and movies were informative and fascinating, and the best part is that we had fun. I would love to go back and would recommend this great facility which is close to home. 