Visitors prepare to enter one of two planetariums during KidCon.
Salt Lake City’s
biggest annual costume party had something uniquely “outta this world” for kids at
this year’s KidCon, the quasi child of the wildly popular FanX.
Janalee Harrison,
physics lab coordinator for Salt Lake Community College, brought two giant planetariums, put them in a large room and watched children become wowed by what
was inside. Harrison borrowed from KidCon’s pirate theme to add even more fun
to the experience.
“I pretended to be
a pirate captain and the kids had joined my crew,” Harrison says. “After
‘boarding’ the planetarium, we learned there was a mutiny and we had all been
marooned on a deserted island. We then had to figure out where we were and how
we were oriented and then we could navigate off the island.”
About 2,000
children (and adults) visited the silver and blue Portable Planetarium Systems
over the course of three days in early September. Once inside the blue
“Digitalis” planetarium, kids used the sun and stars to determine longitude and
latitude and a north orientation, “just like ancient sailors,” Harrison notes.
Then they navigated off the island to end the 20-minute show. The shows ran
non-stop each day and were at maximum capacity each time. “Our public debut was
a big hit and a great success,” Harrison says.
The silver
planetarium in the room is the old StarLab the college purchased in 1984 – yes,
it still works! It projects a star field via a gel over a lightbulb for a more
simplified show that focuses on finding and identifying a few constellations,
the North Star and measuring latitude. In busier times during KidCon, the
silver sister to the more popular blue planetarium handled some of the
overflow.
Harrison said
using the planetariums was a way for SLCC student volunteers during KidCon to
gain leadership experience, ideas for research projects and hands-on time
with a STEM-related experience. “I knew Salt Lake City’s FanX would be a great
way to reach a lot of people, and their KidCon event is S.T.E.A.M. centered –
so, I knew we would fit right in,” Harrison says. The show she developed
focused on astronavigation.
Most things and
experiences at FanX and KidCon cost money, but Harrison was able to keep the
planetarium show free, much to the “surprise and relief” of otherwise hesitant
parents. She also made sure that it was ADA compatible, which meant many
children with disabilities were able to participate. “Our interactions with
them were always very special, and I’m pleased we could provide that service,”
Harrison says.
