Student Life Clubs
Get involved on campus with students who are passionate about the natural sciences.
Fun Facts About Our Planetarium
Here are some Fun Facts about the domed projection screen, which brings the Universe to your neighborhood:
- The surface of the 34 ft diameter perforated aluminum dome covers 1816 square feet.
- There are over 19 1/2 million tiny perforations across the dome's surface to prevent sound from wrapping around the theater and becoming distorted.
- If all of these perforations were to be placed side-by-side in a straight line, they would stretch in a line over 19 miles long!
- If you turned the dome upside-down, it could hold 272,884,518 M&Ms!
Planetarium Equipment
The Kika Silva Pla Planetarium seats 60 guests beneath a 34 ft Spitz projection dome, and is equipped with not one, but two, state of the art planetarium projectors!
The first is a computer-controlled Goto Chronos optical-mechanical projector, which provides the most realistic night sky available. Unlike traditional optical-mechanical projectors elsewhere, the Chronos is capable of transporting you to any place on Earth, or in time +/- 10,000 years, within seconds.
The Kika Silva Pla Planetarium's Goto Chronos optical-mechanical projector is the first of only two of its kind in Florida, and the 10th out of only 17 installed in the world!
The second star projector is a Barco F70-4K6 running RSA Cosmos' Sky Explorer Space Simulation software. The Barco F70-4K6 uses a laser phosphor light source that transforms the 34 foot wide dome into one giant, immersive computer screen that totally surrounds you with images, animations, and video for an experience you will never forget. With this projector you can be transported to the surfaces of other planets, through the rings of Saturn, out into the Galaxy, and to the edge of the observable Universe. Or, it can just as easily take you to the depths of Earth's oceans and even within the human body!
Photos of the Kika Silva Pla Planetarium!
View a digital gallery of photos of the Kika Silva Pla Planetarium on SmugMug and Facebook. Feel free to download these images as your computer desktop wallpaper, etc.
On Exhibit
"Astrophotography and Poems" provided by local astrophotographer and Alachua Astronomy Club member, Dr. Howard Eskildsen, are on display in the Planetarium Gallery!
This Month's Sky Chart
The Evening Sky Map is monthly guide to the night sky suitable for all sky watchers including newcomers to Astronomy.
Designed to print clearly on all printers, The Evening Sky Map is ready-to-use and will help you to:
- Identify planets, stars and major constellations
- Find sparkling star clusters, wispy nebulae & distant galaxies
- Locate and follow bright comets across the sky
- Learn about the night sky and Astronomy
Current Moon Phase
The Moon changes its apparent shape with four distinct phases depending on the Moon’s position as it orbits around the Earth, and the Earth’s position as it orbits around the Sun. There are four main Moon phases, also known as lunar phases: First Quarter, Full Moon, Last Quarter and New Moon.
Learn more about Current Moon Phases