Gaze at Charlotte’s sky in a new planetarium opening this weekend

I had forgotten what it feels like to sit down and stare up at the stars, take the time to pick out constellations, or discern which bright speck in the night sky is Venus. That’s what happens when you get caught up in the flow of work, workouts and outings with friends.

Then I sat and looked up at the night sky — in the middle of a Thursday morning — at the new Discovery Place Nature planetarium right by Freedom Park, which opens Saturday, Jan. 14.

It’s worth taking a break from your routine and the cityscape for this. Do it when you have a spare hour to yourself, or when you’re hankering for a random date activity, or when you’re desperate to occupy your young kids, if you have them.

All you have to do is pay the $8 admission fee to Discovery Place Nature (which is free for members and kids under age 2). Then head over to the planetarium, kick back on a bean bag chair (coming soon), look up, and take in space. At least two shows will be offered daily Tuesdays through Sundays.

This new, digital planetarium is housed in the Discovery Place Nature building, formerly Charlotte Nature Museum, at 1658 Sterling Road. The facility hasn’t contained a planetarium since the 1980s.

There are two shows lined up for the public so far. “Winter Sky” is the seasonal star show (about 15 minutes) depicting the Charlotte sky in winter. A narrated tour instructs you about how to identify stars and planets, and how to navigate using the stars.

If you’re busy catching up on Golden-Globe-winning films in theaters, the jolly voice of the narrator could come off as a bit corny. But it’s fun to collect a little star trivia, like the fact that the Big Dipper is part of the Ursa Major constellation.

I’m hooked on movies, so I was more into the preview of the second show, the multimedia film “Back to the Moon for Good,” with Tim Allen as narrator. The show is about 25 minutes long and explores the next wave of global interest in traveling to the moon. And it feels like an IMAX movie experience, thanks to the planetarium’s ceiling, which is more than 22 feet high.

Still, the planetarium is just one way to tune back into nature and space.

“If you want to learn about space, go outside and look up,” said Marvin Bouknight, Director at Discovery Place Nature. “It doesn’t take anything special. Just look up.”

Grand opening

On Saturday, Jan. 14, shows will be on view every hour on the hour from 10 a.m.-3 p.m.

Regular schedule

After Jan. 14, you can catch shows Tuesdays-Fridays at 1 p.m. and 3 p.m., Saturdays at 10 a.m., 1 p.m. and 3:30 p.m., and Sundays at 12:30 p.m., 1:30 p.m. and 3:30 p.m. The museum is closed Mondays. Groups and classes can book live star show experiences with a Discovery Place educator as well.

Find tickets online, by calling 704.372.6261 x300, or by walking into Discovery Place Nature. 1658 Sterling Road.

Photos: Katie Toussaint

This story was originally published January 12, 2017 at 11:00 PM.