MHCC Planetarium Reopens After COVID

Photo of planetarium image by Sabrina Kuhlmann

As a kid, I had always loved going to planetariums. I was fascinated with the idea of space. I even wanted to be an astronaut, until I found out how much training and scientific knowledge it took to become one.

When I found out that MHCC’s Planetarium was reopening – after a four-year, pandemic-driven closure – I was thrilled. I wanted to go immediately. And let me say, I was not disappointed.

The Planetarium Sky Theater located beneath the Mt. Hood Library in Room 1305 on the Main Mall, had its first show of the year on Feb. 1, and the presentation couldn’t be better.

Inside the room, visitors are treated to comfortable theater seats that give a perfect view of the globular screen above. William Blackmore, an astronomy teacher at MHCC, hosts the show and makes sure that all guests understand the topic he discusses. He is entertaining and informative, and his passion for astronomy is clear in the way he brings the presentation to life.

The first presentation on Feb. 1 reminded us just how tiny the small, wet rock that we live on really is. Even our sun is considered rather mediocre, based on the size of other celestial bodies. When looking at our Earth as really just a damp pebble in a universe of boulders, mountains and waterfalls, it becomes extremely easy to get lost in the wonder that space has to offer.

In addition to offering this incredible insight, Blackmore shared with us numerous celestial events occurring this year and how to experience the beauty of the astronomical universe. In 2024, these include the total solar eclipse on April 8 across much of North America, the peak of the Perseids meteor shower on Aug. 12, and the conjunction of Jupiter and Mars on Aug. 14.

All in all, the Planetarium show was extremely entertaining, and I would recommend a visit to anyone even mildly interested in astronomy. The shows vary each month, so make sure to catch them all, every first and third Thursday at 6:30 and 8:30 p.m.

The theater is wheelchair-accessible and can hold up to 70 people.

At $5 per adult, $2 per Mt. Hood student, and free for children accompanied by an adult, it is a steal for an experience one might remember for a lifetime.

Planetarium times and information: https://www.mhcc.edu/Planetarium/