New out-of-this-world planetarium is coming to Bath
A new planetarium has been purchased in Bath worth £18,500. The Herschel Museum of Astronomy on New King Street paid for the attraction with a £18,500 grant from The West of England Mayoral Combined Authority and promise the planetarium can "inspire all ages [...] to engage with STEM".
The museum had previously used a inflatable planetarium generously loaned from the University of Bath. The planetarium was such a hit that the museum nurtured ambitions of buying a permanent planetarium of its own. Patrizia Ribul, Director of Museums at Bath Preservation Trust says: “We are thrilled and so grateful for this generous grant which will transform our offering and widen the reach of our Learning and Engagement work considerably.
"Inclusion is one of our cornerstone values and the planetarium has the power to inspire all ages, from all backgrounds, encouraging children all over the south west to engage with STEM.”
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Ellie Giles, Learning and Engagement Officer says: “Over the past two years the inflatable planetarium loaned to us by the University of Bath has been a fantastic resource. We have run shows at local libraries, at science fairs and visited schools as far away as Marlborough and Slough.
"Thanks to the West of England Small Museums Grant we have now purchased a brand new planetarium and projection system meaning we can extend our programme and reach even more schools. In the coming months we will be creating new planetarium content to show alongside the current Herschel Museum film.
"This will be developed in consultation with a local school to ensure that it links well with the curriculum and engages children of all ages.”
The new planetarium is portable and will not be available as part of general admission into the museum. Instead, it will be taken around the local area for various events.
The first planetarium event will take place this Saturday (January 25) at Bath Central Library between 10am and 4.30pm. Sadly, the event is fully sold out. The museum were unable to confirm when the next planetarium event will be.
The Herschel Museum of Astronomy will be reopening in February and will be open from Tuesday to Sunday, 10am to 5pm. Last entry will be at 4pm, and the museum will closed between 1pm and 2pm on weekends.
Kids go free with an accompanying adult. An adult annual pass is £12.50, or free for Bath Preservation Trust members.