Robert Goddard Planetarium

Is it just me, or do all campers like to sit around the campfire, look up and try to find Polaris – the North Star – and then see how many planets and constellations we can find?  I’ve gone so far as load the Skyview app on my phone.  Lori has also turned into quite the amateur astronomer. So when we find a planetarium, especially one that is community centered and inexpensive we try to take in a show or two.  While we were in Roswell, NM we noticed that there was a planetarium in the downtown area.  The museum is actually part of the Roswell Museum and Art Center. The Robert H. Goddard Planetarium was built through an initiative shared by the museum and the Roswell Independent School District in 1968. Once considered the largest planetarium in New Mexico, it is capable of reproducing the night sky as seen from any point on earth. The multimedia laboratory features an Astronomy Resource Center and hosts the Roswell Astronomy Club "Star Parties". The planetarium continues its partnership with the museum and school district through educational and public programming – including such activities as Space Camp, NASA's Hubble Space Telescope's informal science education resource "ViewSpace," and other family science events and activities.

The Planetarium is home to a state-of-the-art, full-dome digital theater system with Digistar 6 programming. This immersive experience brings the captivating story of our cosmic origins to life like never before. Shows will be presented on a seasonally rotating schedule so check ahead and be sure to attend one when you are in the area.  Shows include a full-dome film accompanied by a star presentation and last approximately 40 minutes. Cost is around $5. The show we attended dealt with the life cycle of the universe – how it was created and how science predicts it will end.  While some of the content was over my head and clearly designed to keep the more astronomically minded engaged, the remained was entertaining and informative.