Renovations on BC’s planetarium are now tentative. The facility was scheduled to go under construction immediately following the end of this semester well into the month of October, but now plans are questionable because BC has not received a construction bid for the job.
“During the week of finals, the dome will come down and packaged, as well as the star projector and the seats and will all be sent away to a buyer,” said Nick Strobel, instructor of astronomy and sole staff of the planetarium.
Strobel has been teaching at BC for almost 10 years and is committed to helping students realize their connection to the universe and the beauty in it.
“The planetarium is designed to simulate the night sky, the sky that you can see without a telescope, on a big dome with points on it that are replicas of the stars,” said Strobel.
Every week, planetarium shows are given to different school groups in the community ranging from kindergarten through 12th grade. Also, BC’s astronomy and physical science classes visit the planetarium throughout the semester.
Several changes are planned to update and improve the current planetarium.
“The current 24-foot dome classroom will be expanded to a 36-foot dome, and the star projector will be replaced with an optical-mechanical star projector. The concentrically arranged bench seating will be replaced with individual seats all facing the same direction,” according to the planetarium Web site.
Strobel looks forward to opening the new planetarium in mid November as well as making a solar system course and an astrobiology course available for students in the future.
“People wonder is there other life out there, and an astrobiology course would really allow us to explore that idea,” he said.
Strobel went to school as an undergraduate at the University of Arizona and he received his Ph.D. in astrophysics from the University of Washington. He calls Boise, Idaho home, and he moved to Bakersfield in 1996 because there was a job opening.
“I decided to stay here because I like the faculty and the students,” Strobel said. With the plans for a renovated planetarium up in the air, Strobel remains optimistic, saying, “All of the new equipment has already been purchased. We are just looking for someone to do the construction on the building.”