Teaching people about the night sky will now be easier for the Lethbridge Astronomy Society, who recently purchased an inflatable planetarium.
Thanks to the support from the City of Lethbridge and a grant from Community Foundation of Lethbridge and Southwestern Alberta, the Lethbridge Astronomy Society (LAS) was able to purchase the inflatable planetarium.
It looks like an igloo when blown up and is around five metres in diameter, with a screen and projection system inside.
According to Tom Anderson, past president of the society, this is something that LAS has been working towards for a few years.
“We’re very excited,” says Anderson. “We’re hoping that we’ll be able to get the equipment here in Lethbridge and all configured and ready to go probably in the late winter or early spring.”
The hope with the inflatable planetarium, is that it can open up the potential to partner with other agencies, like schools in the area, the Galt Museum, the library, and Helen Schuler Nature Centre.
“It opens up a whole lot of new possibilities for us if we have something that is portable that can give a high quality 360 degree immersive experience on-site where the people are,” says Anderson.
While it will still be several months before the planetarium is up and running, he says LAS is excited for the future.