PRESTONSBURG, Ky. – Big Sandy Community and Technical College’s East Kentucky Science Center and Varia Planetarium (EKSC) will house a special Hubble mission exhibit from NASA through August.
“We are very fortunate to bring such an innovative exhibit to the people of eastern Kentucky,” said Steve Russo, director of the EKSC. “This exhibit takes visitors through the life and history of the Hubble mission.”
The EKSC held a VIP Reception for community members to get a sneak peek of the NASA Hubble Traveling exhibit on Friday, January 20.
Others who spoke at the reception were: Les Stapleton, mayor of Prestonsburg; John Rosenberg, a founding member of the EKSC, and Maurice Henderson, NASA lead outreach coordinator.
“As the leading STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) facility in the region, it is important that we bring world-class exhibits, such as the NASA Hubble Traveling exhibit, to the people of eastern Kentucky,” said Dr. Alan Scheibmeir, interim president of Big Sandy Community and Technical College. “This exhibit will empower visitors through the power of science and engineering to shoot for the stars.”
The 2,200-square-foot exhibit immerses visitors in the magnificence and mystery of the Hubble Space Telescope and introduces the James Webb Space Telescope. Featuring a scale model of the Hubble Space Telescope and several satellite units, visitors will get a hands-on experience of the same technology that allows Hubble to gaze at distant galaxies and contribute to the exploration of planets, stars, galaxies and the universe.
Visitors will also learn of the various instruments aboard the telescope and the role each of them plays in providing images and discoveries. The exhibit will also feature data taken by Hubble of planets, galaxies, regions around the black hole and many other fascinating cosmic entities that have contributed to science for decades.
The EKSC is a state-of-the-art facility located on the Prestonsburg campus of Big Sandy Community and Technical College. The center provides visitors an innovative and interactive platform to explore STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) subjects and careers.
The planetarium features a 40-foot dome and the Spitz Sci-Dome projection system, one of only two dozen in the world. Additionally, the planetarium has the state’s only GOTO Star Projector, which brings space exploration to life for visitors.
You can visit the EKSC Tuesday through Thursday from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. and noon to 4 p.m. each Saturday. The center offers school and group tours and a variety of special classroom programs for schools and students.
Admission is $6 for adults, $4 for children and children four and under are free. Admission includes the exhibit and planetarium shows. For more information, call (606) 889-8260.
