January 17, 2024
The Delta College Planetarium in Bay City reopens after a major screen repaint project.
“Visitors will be treated to a screen with brighter, more colorful imagery that looks smooth and consistent. This will help the immersive scenery feel vivid and realistic,” said Mike Murray, planetarium manager.
“The dome hadn’t been cleaned and painted since the theater opened in 1997,” added Murray.
The domed projection screen consists of perforated aluminum panels that required a specialized paint process carried out by Astro-Tec Inc. of Canal Fulton, Ohio.
Audiences can choose from three different productions running on Saturdays in January and February. At 3:30pm is the main feature Eclipse: The Sun Revealed, highlighting a preview of the Great American Total Solar Eclipse coming close to Michigan on April 8, 2024. The program utilizes the unique immersive environment of the dome theater to show how eclipses occur, where the best viewing areas will be, and how to view it safely. Information handouts and eclipse glasses will also be available.
Saturdays at 2pm is the family show The Enchanted Reef, an animated story about the colorful inhabitants of Kaluoka’hina and the journey they must make to restore the magic of their reef.
At 7pm on Saturday nights plays one of the planetarium’s most popular films Mysteries of the Great Lakes, adapted from the giant screen format movie produced by Science North in Sudbury, Ontario.
Public feature shows also run during the week with To Worlds Beyond on Thursdays at 2pm and Stars of the Pharaohs on Fridays at 2pm. Complete show descriptions are available at delta.edu/planetarium.
Every show is accompanied by a short presentation about the current night sky and hot topics. General admission tickets for each show are $7 for adults, $5 for children 3-18, seniors, students and military. Tickets are available online or can be purchased at the planetarium. The Delta College Planetarium is located at 100 Center Avenue in downtown Bay City. For more information, go to delta.edu/planetarium or call 989-667-2260.