Comments on: Help build a planetarium in Minnesota

By: Kevin

Kevin — Sun, 14 Jun 2009 01:12:58 +0000

I haven’t been to the Minneapolis planetarium since elementary school, and it would be nice to go there again. I was sad to see the old one torn down.

I’m a big fan of our relatively new science museum, and other museums we have. (For those visiting, I highly recommend the Mill City Museum, not particularly science related, but still spectacular.) So I definitely support the cause. The new plans look pretty amazing. I’ll definitely be going as much as possible when it gets built. I’ll bring my young nephew (and any future children) and get him (them) into loving space.

By: Mchl

Mchl — Sat, 13 Jun 2009 12:55:59 +0000

@unquiet_mind: There are 15 planetaria in my 38 mil country (including an 8meter one that’s apparently been buid from scratch by an amateur).

By: Quinn

Quinn — Sat, 13 Jun 2009 03:57:54 +0000

While we’re at it, anyone interested in helping restore the McGlaughlin Planetarium in Toronto? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/McLaughlin_Planetarium

By: Barack Obama

Barack Obama — Sat, 13 Jun 2009 01:53:59 +0000

How much do you need, Mr. Plait? I’ll have the Treasury Department print it right up! Will $250 billion do? $500 billion?

It’s morning in America!

By: T.E.L.

T.E.L. — Sat, 13 Jun 2009 00:37:02 +0000

There are plenty of planetaria in the U.S.; many colleges and even some of the better-funded high schools have their own. There are at least two in town here where I live (a university and a children’s museum), and I’m aware of at least three more elsewhere in the surrounding state (two universities and a high school; the high school also has a small museum of space exploration inside the dome). But, the number of “Adler Grade” are kind of sparse. Most of the ones in schools have the much less sophisticated projectors. They’re good, but the sky representations aren’t usually very subtle. Still, it’s good that there’s enough interest to warrant so many of them around the Country.

By: Jon Lester

Jon Lester — Fri, 12 Jun 2009 23:46:39 +0000

I don’t know which congressional district this will be in, but in a state that sends people like Michele Bachmann to Washington, there can never be too much investment in science education. I say can say this because my own state of Georgia is much the same.

By: unquiet_mind

unquiet_mind — Fri, 12 Jun 2009 23:33:30 +0000

Re Mchl @8:

According to Wikipedia, ” A rough estimate is that in the United States there is one planetarium per 100,000 population.”

Also, I learned recently that during the “Space Race,” the gov’t would cover much of the cost for planetariums built in public schools.