UWs Planetarium Temporarily Closed; Public Shows Canceled

The University of Wyoming Harry C. Vaughan Planetarium will be temporarily closed, at least for the next two weeks and perhaps beyond.

“Regretfully, we experienced electrical-related damage to our theater equipment Tuesday afternoon and don’t expect replacements or repairs to be available for the next couple of weeks,” says Max Gilbraith, the planetarium’s coordinator. “We are going to close the planetarium and cancel all public shows until we are up and running 100 percent.”

Nearly 9,800 Rocky Mountain Power customers in Laramie were without power for hours after a failure at a Laramie substation cut electricity a little after 1:30 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 9. Parts of UW’s Laramie campus, as well as businesses along Third Street and in west Laramie, also lost power.

Weather permitting, the planetarium will host a free observing night at the STAR Observatory on the roof of the Physical Sciences Building Saturday, Aug. 13, beginning at 8:30 p.m., Gilbraith says. Visitors are asked to use the southwest stairwell of the building to access the roof.

“In the meantime, I hope to announce future observing nights at the STAR Observatory on the roof of the Physical Sciences Building and other activities,” Gilbraith says.