By Steven Dlugosz
History and Use
When people in Western New York think about where they live,
most often get images of the cold weather or the area’s
sports teams. Science does not necessarily come to mind
for most, but what people don’t realize is that Western
New York’s only planetarium is right in their own
backyards, at Buffalo State College. Since 1967, the Whitworth-Ferguson
Planetarium has existed in the Science Building
at Buffalo State, and observers of it have seen its splendor
and interesting showcases.
Throughout its history, the planetarium has been open in
the daytime area public and parochial school groups to come
in and view. Art Gielow, who has done work with the planetarium
since 1980 and director since 1984, notes that the Planetarium
attracted 10,000 school children a year at one time. This
number has significantly fallen in recent years, with reasons
unknown. BSC Astronomy Professor John Mack of the science
department says that the primary benefit of the planetarium
is “for the students to use and understand, and help
with school.” The planetarium is also currently used
by various clubs and groups on campus, such as the BSC Astronomy
Club, as well as by BSC professors. Dr. Mack’s astronomy
class, as well as Greek Mythology and Creative Studies Groups,
are takento the planetarium, where up to 70 students can
fit in the room. The Spitz AP3 Projector shows stars and
other celestial bodies out over a 25-foot dome.
In addition to BSC, the planetarium currently attracts outside
groups, such as:
- The Girl Scout Council of WNY, which arranged for troops
to use the planetarium on Wednesday and Thursday evenings
through May.
- The WNY Amateur Meteorological Society, which came in
to see a special presentation on the “Northern Lights”.
- An ECC astronomy class
The characteristics that make the planetarium special to
people are simple, says Gielow.
“Just the fact that you’re entering an area
that becomes dark, and being comfortable to see what appears
to be a real night sky (artificially presented in the room)
and stars, as well as objects that are presented to be moving
at the same time while new objects are coming up, is neat.”
Gielow said the planetarium’s new shows with a new
projection device to display on the dome are not quite ready
for the public. However, the current set-up is still quite
valuable to the various groups, students, societies, and
clubs, as Mack says.
Dr. Mack said the planetarium’s quick presentation
of celestial bodies is an invaluable addition to his astronomy
courses textbook material.
“I’m very glad we have this Planetarium. It
gives you certain impressions that the text doesn’t,
like showing the advancement of seasons or declination of
the sun, as well as why constellations appear to drift toward
the west…all these events are captured in the planetarium,”
he said.
Other BSC Teacher Support
Other BSC teachers were also aware of the importance of
the Planetarium to the local school community. The following
BSC professors wrote in emails the following about the planetarium:
- Department of earth sciences Professor Gary Solar wrote
that “it serves the entire grade-school age community
with multiple trips to Buffalo State for shows all year
long.”
- Fellow department member Carol Waddell-Sheets wrote that
“I believe that the planetarium acts as an important
bridge between Buffalo State and the local school children.”
Future of the planetarium
Gielow said that that the future could mean new equipment
to present laser shows through a new projection device.
This device would also present a computerized image that
could move at arbitrary speed, as Mack notes. The current
technology is not able to present this idea.
At the moment, the Whitworth-Ferguson Planetarium remains
an intrical part of the Western New York and BSC community.
As Gielow states, “Our planetarium has a future…As
long as astronomy grows, we’re going to grow, too.”
Other links :
http://fergusonplanetarium.homestead.
com/home.html
http://fergusonplanetarium.homestead.
com/schoolshows.html
http://fergusonplanetarium.homestead.
com/astronomyclub.html http://www.buffalostate.edu/tour/
index.asp?sectid=sc&phnum=1
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