Renovated Planetarium reopens at Seminole State College for students and public

SANFORD, Fla. - The Planetarium at Seminole State College is ready to reopen to students and the public.

It was closed for more than a year for renovations. Besides cosmetic upgrades, the all-new Digistar Full-Dome Projection System makes for an impressive experience.

"I have a game controller, I have an iPad," said Planetarium Director Derek Demeter. "I don’t have to always be sitting or standing behind the giant console. I can interact with the students and the public and sit down with them and give the presentation in the audience."

The Planetarium shut down last July for the renovation. Demeter said it is now a state-of-the-art immersive classroom. 

"Before we were just mainly able to look at the stars and maybe travel around the planets a little bit," he said. "But now the universe is truly open for us. We can leave the Milky Way. We can look at the clusters of galaxies, we can investigate the human body for our nursing students here. We can travel to historic places on earth for humanities. We can look at earth sciences – earthquakes, wind, and all kinds of things to teach students about hurricanes and earthquakes. So we can truly show and educate in a way that you can’t in a traditional classroom."

While astronomy remains at the Planetarium’s core, it can now take students on virtual field trips around the world, or be used for teaching almost any curriculum.

If the weather is clear, a few telescopes will be set up during public nights for star party events. The sky is the limit. 

For more information on future shows or events, visit seminolestate.edu/planet