On a beautiful summer evening in late July, Arlington’s David M. Brown Planetarium was aswarm with supporters who traveled from all over Arlington, Northern Virginia, DC, and Maryland. They came to view space shows, look through solar telescopes, and speak with astronomers and amateur astronomers. They came to learn about light pollution, build planetarium gyroscopes and tyrannosaurus rexes, and excavate fossils from big crates of sand. But most of all, they came to show their support for an institution that has educated and inspired children and adults across the region for over 40 years.
Lines of families, astronomy enthusiasts, and planetarium supporters wrapped around the halls of the planetarium awaiting the next space show. By all means, the size and duration of the crowd of supporters astounded Friends of the Planetarium. Every space show from 4:00 to 9:30 p.m. was sold out. Outdoor activities, presented by the Northern Virginia Astronomy Club, ideaventions, and The International Dark Sky Association, entertained visitors between shows. To accommodate the demand for space shows, Planetarium Director, Jonathan Harmon even added a bonus show, bringing the total to 6 shows!
Inside the planetarium, kids giggled at Jonathan’s jokes and shouted out the names of planets and other celestial objects during space shows, while parents smiled, realizing the treasure of science communication they were supporting.
For some visitors, this was their first visit to the planetarium. Others in attendance were longtime patrons of the planetarium, having attended shows for decades, dating back to when Steve Smith was director.
Friends of the Planetarium members opened each show, thanking visitors for their overwhelming support and enthusiasm for the planetarium. And at the end of each show, planetarium visitors previewed several of the full-dome digital planetarium shows their donations are funding.
Early totals from “Night at the Planetarium!” show that over 400 people viewed planetarium shows, 20 people volunteered at the event, and 430 made donations to help save the planetarium. In one day, total donors rose from 83 to over 500 and total donations leapt from $7,350 to $11,850—that’s $4,500 in 6 hours!
Friends of the Planetarium would like to truly thank everyone who visited, offered their generous support, volunteered, coordinated, and spread the word about this event via twitter, facebook, flyers, and word of mouth.
Ryan Hanna, member of Friends of the Planetarium, deserves a huge thank you for conceiving of the idea for “Night at the Planetarium!” and coordinating the event with planetarium staff. Friends of the Planetarium would also like to send a huge thank you to Planetarium Director Jonathan Harmon, the Northern Virginia Astronomy Club, ideaventions, and The International Dark Sky Association for providing hours of captivating presentations.
Media coverage for the event was also tremendous, and Friends of the Planetarium thanks Christy Goodman at the Washington Post, Radio Host Kojo Nnamdi and WAMU Producer Tara Boyle from WAMU 88.5 FM’s “Kojo Nnamdi Show,” Scott Brodbeck at ARLnow.com, Scott McCaffrey at the Sun Gazette, and Heather Goss at DCist.com for helping to spread the word about “Night at the Planetarium” and the effort to Save the David M. Brown Planetarium.
Friends of the Planetarium will be at the Arlington County Fair from August 18th to August 22nd. Children’s artwork from local schools will be on display, there will be gyroscope building activities, and Friends of the Planetarium will sell different star types, based on the H-R Diagram of stars. More details coming to SavePlanetarium.org and facebook soon!
For photos and video of “Night at the Planetarium,” flip through the slideshow below. Enjoy!
Tags: ARLnow, DCist, donations, Friends of the Planetarium, ideaventions, International Dark Sky Association, Jonathan Harmon, Kojo Nnamdi Show, Night at the Planetarium, Northern Virginia Astronomy Club, Save the Planetarium, Sun Gazette, Washington Post
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