The Donald E. Bianchi Planetarium, named after the founding dean of our College of Science and Mathematics, is operated by CSUN's Department of Physics and Astronomy. The late Dr. Adrian Herzog designed the building and was the first planetarium director. With the support of Dean Edward J. Carroll, Jr., the planetarium has offered regularly scheduled public shows since 2002. At the heart of our 105-seat star theater lies the Spitz-512 Star Projector, capable of recreating the night sky on our 40-foot (12.5 m) dome with accuracy and brilliance. Over 2,000 stars, the five visibleplanets, and all of the apparent motions of the sky come alive overhead in a unique and relaxing environment.
The Planetarium plays a crucial role in our community because astronomy is a major factor in motivating high school students to pursue a science career. The recent launch of Artemis 1 and news of James Webb Space Telescope discoveries gives CSUN the unique opportunity to engage the local community and motivate them to join our campus. The Bianchi Planetarium can provide bi-weekly star shows and other programs, not only for CSUN students, but also for the many communities of the San Fernando Valley and surrounding areas.
But the Planetarium had to be closed during the pandemic years and that means there is a lot of critical work to do to get the facility back up and running. The planetarium projector is a 20-year-old instrument with some limited capability and outdated analog technology, as well as expensive-to-maintain and difficult-to-procure parts. A new projector is badly needed, and additional upgrades to the Planetarium are necessary. Help us bring back our community facility and make it a hub for the very timely exploration of our universe.
