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John C. Wells Planetarium

James Madison University, 800 South Main Street

Harrisonburg, VA 22801

Visit Website

540- 568-6211

Characterizing it as an astronomical challenge may be a bit of a stretch, but operating the John C. Wells Planetarium before its $1.3 million renovation in 2007 was anything but easy.

Fixing the broken parts was not possible in a lot of cases because the parts of the 1970s-era system had become obsolete. Now running a state-of-the art hybrid projection system, those concerns seem light years in the past. When the planetarium reopened in September 2008, it offered visitors a total-immersion-in-space-experience available at only three other planetariums in the United States.

"We're one of the few planetariums in the world with a digital movie capability and a GOTO Cronus star ball that allows us to project an authentic view of what the night sky would look like on any given day at any given location on the earth," said planetarium director Shanil Virani.

While the hybrid system is different than IMAX technology, which some visitors have compared it to, the new GOTO Chronos instrument and Digistar 3 projection system can provide some eye-opening effects along with some advanced teaching tools. "We can account for light pollution, so what I normally do, I bring up the star ball with full light pollution and people recognize the familiar constellations and that's what they're used to seeing," Virani said. "When we remove the light pollution, that's the first 'ooh, ah' moment. Everytime."

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AARP Events for Harrisonburg

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  Thursday, Jan 16, 2025 at 1:00 p.m. ET

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											<div>James Madison University, 800 South Main Street</div>
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												<span>22801</span>
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						<p>Characterizing it as an astronomical challenge may be a bit of a stretch, but operating the John C. Wells Planetarium before its $1.3 million renovation in 2007 was anything but easy.</p>
<p>Fixing the broken parts was not possible in a lot of cases because the parts of the 1970s-era system had become obsolete. Now running a state-of-the art hybrid projection system, those concerns seem light years in the past. When the planetarium reopened in September 2008, it offered visitors a total-immersion-in-space-experience available at only three other planetariums in the United States.</p>
<p>"We're one of the few planetariums in the world with a digital movie capability and a GOTO Cronus star ball that allows us to project an authentic view of what the night sky would look like on any given day at any given location on the earth," said planetarium director Shanil Virani.</p>
<p>While the hybrid system is different than IMAX technology, which some visitors have compared it to, the new GOTO Chronos instrument and Digistar 3 projection system can provide some eye-opening effects along with some advanced teaching tools. "We can account for light pollution, so what I normally do, I bring up the star ball with full light pollution and people recognize the familiar constellations and that's what they're used to seeing," Virani said. "When we remove the light pollution, that's the first 'ooh, ah' moment. Everytime."</p>
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											<div>James Madison University, 800 South Main Street</div>
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							<span>Harrisonburg</span>,
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												<span>22801</span>
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						<p>Characterizing it as an astronomical challenge may be a bit of a stretch, but operating the John C. Wells Planetarium before its $1.3 million renovation in 2007 was anything but easy.</p>
<p>Fixing the broken parts was not possible in a lot of cases because the parts of the 1970s-era system had become obsolete. Now running a state-of-the art hybrid projection system, those concerns seem light years in the past. When the planetarium reopened in September 2008, it offered visitors a total-immersion-in-space-experience available at only three other planetariums in the United States.</p>
<p>"We're one of the few planetariums in the world with a digital movie capability and a GOTO Cronus star ball that allows us to project an authentic view of what the night sky would look like on any given day at any given location on the earth," said planetarium director Shanil Virani.</p>
<p>While the hybrid system is different than IMAX technology, which some visitors have compared it to, the new GOTO Chronos instrument and Digistar 3 projection system can provide some eye-opening effects along with some advanced teaching tools. "We can account for light pollution, so what I normally do, I bring up the star ball with full light pollution and people recognize the familiar constellations and that's what they're used to seeing," Virani said. "When we remove the light pollution, that's the first 'ooh, ah' moment. Everytime."</p>
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							<span>Harrisonburg</span>,
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												<span>22801</span>
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										<a href="http://www.jmu.edu/planetarium/about.shtml" target="_blank">Visit Website</a>
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												<div><i class="fa fa-phone-square"></i> 540- 568-6211</div>
				
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						<p>Characterizing it as an astronomical challenge may be a bit of a stretch, but operating the John C. Wells Planetarium before its $1.3 million renovation in 2007 was anything but easy.</p>
<p>Fixing the broken parts was not possible in a lot of cases because the parts of the 1970s-era system had become obsolete. Now running a state-of-the art hybrid projection system, those concerns seem light years in the past. When the planetarium reopened in September 2008, it offered visitors a total-immersion-in-space-experience available at only three other planetariums in the United States.</p>
<p>"We're one of the few planetariums in the world with a digital movie capability and a GOTO Cronus star ball that allows us to project an authentic view of what the night sky would look like on any given day at any given location on the earth," said planetarium director Shanil Virani.</p>
<p>While the hybrid system is different than IMAX technology, which some visitors have compared it to, the new GOTO Chronos instrument and Digistar 3 projection system can provide some eye-opening effects along with some advanced teaching tools. "We can account for light pollution, so what I normally do, I bring up the star ball with full light pollution and people recognize the familiar constellations and that's what they're used to seeing," Virani said. "When we remove the light pollution, that's the first 'ooh, ah' moment. Everytime."</p>
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											<div>James Madison University, 800 South Main Street</div>
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							<span>Harrisonburg</span>,
							<span>VA</span>
												<span>22801</span>
											</div>
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										<a href="http://www.jmu.edu/planetarium/about.shtml" target="_blank">Visit Website</a>
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						<p>Characterizing it as an astronomical challenge may be a bit of a stretch, but operating the John C. Wells Planetarium before its $1.3 million renovation in 2007 was anything but easy.</p>
<p>Fixing the broken parts was not possible in a lot of cases because the parts of the 1970s-era system had become obsolete. Now running a state-of-the art hybrid projection system, those concerns seem light years in the past. When the planetarium reopened in September 2008, it offered visitors a total-immersion-in-space-experience available at only three other planetariums in the United States.</p>
<p>"We're one of the few planetariums in the world with a digital movie capability and a GOTO Cronus star ball that allows us to project an authentic view of what the night sky would look like on any given day at any given location on the earth," said planetarium director Shanil Virani.</p>
<p>While the hybrid system is different than IMAX technology, which some visitors have compared it to, the new GOTO Chronos instrument and Digistar 3 projection system can provide some eye-opening effects along with some advanced teaching tools. "We can account for light pollution, so what I normally do, I bring up the star ball with full light pollution and people recognize the familiar constellations and that's what they're used to seeing," Virani said. "When we remove the light pollution, that's the first 'ooh, ah' moment. Everytime."</p>
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		<header><h1 class="article-headline">John C. Wells Planetarium</h1></header>

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											<div>James Madison University, 800 South Main Street</div>
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							<span>Harrisonburg</span>,
							<span>VA</span>
												<span>22801</span>
											</div>
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					<i class="fa fa-external-link-square"></i> 
										<a href="http://www.jmu.edu/planetarium/about.shtml" target="_blank">Visit Website</a>
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												<div><i class="fa fa-phone-square"></i> 540- 568-6211</div>
				
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						<p>Characterizing it as an astronomical challenge may be a bit of a stretch, but operating the John C. Wells Planetarium before its $1.3 million renovation in 2007 was anything but easy.</p>
<p>Fixing the broken parts was not possible in a lot of cases because the parts of the 1970s-era system had become obsolete. Now running a state-of-the art hybrid projection system, those concerns seem light years in the past. When the planetarium reopened in September 2008, it offered visitors a total-immersion-in-space-experience available at only three other planetariums in the United States.</p>
<p>"We're one of the few planetariums in the world with a digital movie capability and a GOTO Cronus star ball that allows us to project an authentic view of what the night sky would look like on any given day at any given location on the earth," said planetarium director Shanil Virani.</p>
<p>While the hybrid system is different than IMAX technology, which some visitors have compared it to, the new GOTO Chronos instrument and Digistar 3 projection system can provide some eye-opening effects along with some advanced teaching tools. "We can account for light pollution, so what I normally do, I bring up the star ball with full light pollution and people recognize the familiar constellations and that's what they're used to seeing," Virani said. "When we remove the light pollution, that's the first 'ooh, ah' moment. Everytime."</p>
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							<span>Harrisonburg</span>,
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												<span>22801</span>
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						<p>Characterizing it as an astronomical challenge may be a bit of a stretch, but operating the John C. Wells Planetarium before its $1.3 million renovation in 2007 was anything but easy.</p>
<p>Fixing the broken parts was not possible in a lot of cases because the parts of the 1970s-era system had become obsolete. Now running a state-of-the art hybrid projection system, those concerns seem light years in the past. When the planetarium reopened in September 2008, it offered visitors a total-immersion-in-space-experience available at only three other planetariums in the United States.</p>
<p>"We're one of the few planetariums in the world with a digital movie capability and a GOTO Cronus star ball that allows us to project an authentic view of what the night sky would look like on any given day at any given location on the earth," said planetarium director Shanil Virani.</p>
<p>While the hybrid system is different than IMAX technology, which some visitors have compared it to, the new GOTO Chronos instrument and Digistar 3 projection system can provide some eye-opening effects along with some advanced teaching tools. "We can account for light pollution, so what I normally do, I bring up the star ball with full light pollution and people recognize the familiar constellations and that's what they're used to seeing," Virani said. "When we remove the light pollution, that's the first 'ooh, ah' moment. Everytime."</p>
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Warning (2): include() [<a href='http://php.net/function.include'>function.include</a>]: Failed opening '/var/www/vhosts/vcc_staging/app/Resource/aarp2_master.bodyTargeting.html' for inclusion (include_path='/var/www/vhosts/vcc_staging/lib:.:/usr/share/pear:/usr/share/php') [APP/View/Layouts/aarp_2023.ctp, line 243]
Code Context
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		<header><h1 class="article-headline">John C. Wells Planetarium</h1></header>

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											<div>James Madison University, 800 South Main Street</div>
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							<span>Harrisonburg</span>,
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												<span>22801</span>
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								<div>
					<i class="fa fa-external-link-square"></i> 
										<a href="http://www.jmu.edu/planetarium/about.shtml" target="_blank">Visit Website</a>
								</div>
												<div><i class="fa fa-phone-square"></i> 540- 568-6211</div>
				
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						<p>Characterizing it as an astronomical challenge may be a bit of a stretch, but operating the John C. Wells Planetarium before its $1.3 million renovation in 2007 was anything but easy.</p>
<p>Fixing the broken parts was not possible in a lot of cases because the parts of the 1970s-era system had become obsolete. Now running a state-of-the art hybrid projection system, those concerns seem light years in the past. When the planetarium reopened in September 2008, it offered visitors a total-immersion-in-space-experience available at only three other planetariums in the United States.</p>
<p>"We're one of the few planetariums in the world with a digital movie capability and a GOTO Cronus star ball that allows us to project an authentic view of what the night sky would look like on any given day at any given location on the earth," said planetarium director Shanil Virani.</p>
<p>While the hybrid system is different than IMAX technology, which some visitors have compared it to, the new GOTO Chronos instrument and Digistar 3 projection system can provide some eye-opening effects along with some advanced teaching tools. "We can account for light pollution, so what I normally do, I bring up the star ball with full light pollution and people recognize the familiar constellations and that's what they're used to seeing," Virani said. "When we remove the light pollution, that's the first 'ooh, ah' moment. Everytime."</p>
<p></p>		</div>
		

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					<h2 class="title"><a href="/aarp-event/tuesday-explorers-presents-magical-not-magic-the-joy-of-reiki-8fnthhz5mw3.html" data-formelementid="LOCAL-BTN-CLK-EVENTS-MAGICAL-NOT-MAGIC-THE-JOY-OF-REIKI">Magical, Not Magic: The Joy of Reiki</a></h2>
					<p class="time">Tuesday, Jan 7, 2025 at 3:00&nbsp;p.m. ET</p>
					<p class="venue">Zoom</p>
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					<h2 class="title"><a href="/aarp-event/tuesday-explorers-presents-the-theater-awaits-discover-the-magic-of-community-theater-jynsmmmrfz4.html" data-formelementid="LOCAL-BTN-CLK-EVENTS-THE-THEATER-AWAITS-DISCOVER-THE-MAGIC-OF-COMMUNITY-THEATER">The Theater Awaits: Discover the Magic of Community Theater</a></h2>
					<p class="time">Tuesday, Jan 14, 2025 at 3:00&nbsp;p.m. ET</p>
					<p class="venue">Zoom</p>
					<p class="loc">Online Event</p>
					
				</li><li class="item" data-pageindex="1">

										<h3 class="topic">Featured Event</h3>
					
					<h2 class="title"><a href="/aarp-event/intro-to-smartphone-photography-22nm96n8z8d.html" data-formelementid="LOCAL-BTN-CLK-EVENTS-INTRO-TO-SMARTPHONE-PHOTOGRAPHY">Intro to Smartphone Photography</a></h2>
					<p class="time">Thursday, Jan 16, 2025 at 1:00&nbsp;p.m. ET</p>
					<p class="venue">Zoom</p>
					<p class="loc">Online Event</p>
					
				</li>			</ul>

			<p><a class="link-red" href="/harrisonburg-va/aarp-events/" data-formelementid="LOCAL-BTN-CLK-SEEALL-EVENTS">View All AARP Events<i class="ml-1 fas fa-chevron-right"></i></a></p>
	
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											<div>James Madison University, 800 South Main Street</div>
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							<span>Harrisonburg</span>,
							<span>VA</span>
												<span>22801</span>
											</div>
					</div>
				</p>
								<div>
					<i class="fa fa-external-link-square"></i> 
										<a href="http://www.jmu.edu/planetarium/about.shtml" target="_blank">Visit Website</a>
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												<div><i class="fa fa-phone-square"></i> 540- 568-6211</div>
				
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						<p>Characterizing it as an astronomical challenge may be a bit of a stretch, but operating the John C. Wells Planetarium before its $1.3 million renovation in 2007 was anything but easy.</p>
<p>Fixing the broken parts was not possible in a lot of cases because the parts of the 1970s-era system had become obsolete. Now running a state-of-the art hybrid projection system, those concerns seem light years in the past. When the planetarium reopened in September 2008, it offered visitors a total-immersion-in-space-experience available at only three other planetariums in the United States.</p>
<p>"We're one of the few planetariums in the world with a digital movie capability and a GOTO Cronus star ball that allows us to project an authentic view of what the night sky would look like on any given day at any given location on the earth," said planetarium director Shanil Virani.</p>
<p>While the hybrid system is different than IMAX technology, which some visitors have compared it to, the new GOTO Chronos instrument and Digistar 3 projection system can provide some eye-opening effects along with some advanced teaching tools. "We can account for light pollution, so what I normally do, I bring up the star ball with full light pollution and people recognize the familiar constellations and that's what they're used to seeing," Virani said. "When we remove the light pollution, that's the first 'ooh, ah' moment. Everytime."</p>
<p></p>		</div>
		

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					<h2 class="title"><a href="/aarp-event/tuesday-explorers-presents-magical-not-magic-the-joy-of-reiki-8fnthhz5mw3.html" data-formelementid="LOCAL-BTN-CLK-EVENTS-MAGICAL-NOT-MAGIC-THE-JOY-OF-REIKI">Magical, Not Magic: The Joy of Reiki</a></h2>
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					<p class="loc">Online Event</p>
					
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					<h2 class="title"><a href="/aarp-event/tuesday-explorers-presents-the-theater-awaits-discover-the-magic-of-community-theater-jynsmmmrfz4.html" data-formelementid="LOCAL-BTN-CLK-EVENTS-THE-THEATER-AWAITS-DISCOVER-THE-MAGIC-OF-COMMUNITY-THEATER">The Theater Awaits: Discover the Magic of Community Theater</a></h2>
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					<p class="time">Thursday, Jan 16, 2025 at 1:00&nbsp;p.m. ET</p>
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										<a href="http://www.jmu.edu/planetarium/about.shtml" target="_blank">Visit Website</a>
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												<div><i class="fa fa-phone-square"></i> 540- 568-6211</div>
				
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						<p>Characterizing it as an astronomical challenge may be a bit of a stretch, but operating the John C. Wells Planetarium before its $1.3 million renovation in 2007 was anything but easy.</p>
<p>Fixing the broken parts was not possible in a lot of cases because the parts of the 1970s-era system had become obsolete. Now running a state-of-the art hybrid projection system, those concerns seem light years in the past. When the planetarium reopened in September 2008, it offered visitors a total-immersion-in-space-experience available at only three other planetariums in the United States.</p>
<p>"We're one of the few planetariums in the world with a digital movie capability and a GOTO Cronus star ball that allows us to project an authentic view of what the night sky would look like on any given day at any given location on the earth," said planetarium director Shanil Virani.</p>
<p>While the hybrid system is different than IMAX technology, which some visitors have compared it to, the new GOTO Chronos instrument and Digistar 3 projection system can provide some eye-opening effects along with some advanced teaching tools. "We can account for light pollution, so what I normally do, I bring up the star ball with full light pollution and people recognize the familiar constellations and that's what they're used to seeing," Virani said. "When we remove the light pollution, that's the first 'ooh, ah' moment. Everytime."</p>
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						<p>Characterizing it as an astronomical challenge may be a bit of a stretch, but operating the John C. Wells Planetarium before its $1.3 million renovation in 2007 was anything but easy.</p>
<p>Fixing the broken parts was not possible in a lot of cases because the parts of the 1970s-era system had become obsolete. Now running a state-of-the art hybrid projection system, those concerns seem light years in the past. When the planetarium reopened in September 2008, it offered visitors a total-immersion-in-space-experience available at only three other planetariums in the United States.</p>
<p>"We're one of the few planetariums in the world with a digital movie capability and a GOTO Cronus star ball that allows us to project an authentic view of what the night sky would look like on any given day at any given location on the earth," said planetarium director Shanil Virani.</p>
<p>While the hybrid system is different than IMAX technology, which some visitors have compared it to, the new GOTO Chronos instrument and Digistar 3 projection system can provide some eye-opening effects along with some advanced teaching tools. "We can account for light pollution, so what I normally do, I bring up the star ball with full light pollution and people recognize the familiar constellations and that's what they're used to seeing," Virani said. "When we remove the light pollution, that's the first 'ooh, ah' moment. Everytime."</p>
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		<header><h1 class="article-headline">John C. Wells Planetarium</h1></header>

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											<div>James Madison University, 800 South Main Street</div>
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							<span>Harrisonburg</span>,
							<span>VA</span>
												<span>22801</span>
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						<p>Characterizing it as an astronomical challenge may be a bit of a stretch, but operating the John C. Wells Planetarium before its $1.3 million renovation in 2007 was anything but easy.</p>
<p>Fixing the broken parts was not possible in a lot of cases because the parts of the 1970s-era system had become obsolete. Now running a state-of-the art hybrid projection system, those concerns seem light years in the past. When the planetarium reopened in September 2008, it offered visitors a total-immersion-in-space-experience available at only three other planetariums in the United States.</p>
<p>"We're one of the few planetariums in the world with a digital movie capability and a GOTO Cronus star ball that allows us to project an authentic view of what the night sky would look like on any given day at any given location on the earth," said planetarium director Shanil Virani.</p>
<p>While the hybrid system is different than IMAX technology, which some visitors have compared it to, the new GOTO Chronos instrument and Digistar 3 projection system can provide some eye-opening effects along with some advanced teaching tools. "We can account for light pollution, so what I normally do, I bring up the star ball with full light pollution and people recognize the familiar constellations and that's what they're used to seeing," Virani said. "When we remove the light pollution, that's the first 'ooh, ah' moment. Everytime."</p>
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											<div>James Madison University, 800 South Main Street</div>
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							<span>Harrisonburg</span>,
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												<span>22801</span>
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						<p>Characterizing it as an astronomical challenge may be a bit of a stretch, but operating the John C. Wells Planetarium before its $1.3 million renovation in 2007 was anything but easy.</p>
<p>Fixing the broken parts was not possible in a lot of cases because the parts of the 1970s-era system had become obsolete. Now running a state-of-the art hybrid projection system, those concerns seem light years in the past. When the planetarium reopened in September 2008, it offered visitors a total-immersion-in-space-experience available at only three other planetariums in the United States.</p>
<p>"We're one of the few planetariums in the world with a digital movie capability and a GOTO Cronus star ball that allows us to project an authentic view of what the night sky would look like on any given day at any given location on the earth," said planetarium director Shanil Virani.</p>
<p>While the hybrid system is different than IMAX technology, which some visitors have compared it to, the new GOTO Chronos instrument and Digistar 3 projection system can provide some eye-opening effects along with some advanced teaching tools. "We can account for light pollution, so what I normally do, I bring up the star ball with full light pollution and people recognize the familiar constellations and that's what they're used to seeing," Virani said. "When we remove the light pollution, that's the first 'ooh, ah' moment. Everytime."</p>
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				<li role="presentation"><a role="menuitem" class="menuitem " href="/harrisonburg-va/museums/?intcmp=CSN-LOCAL-NAV-MUSEUMS" data-formelementid="LOCAL-LNK-CLK-MUSEUMS">Museums</a></li>
				-->
			</ul>
		</li>
		
	</ul>
</div>
</nav>'
$header_custom = ''
$breadcrumbs = array(
	(int) 0 => array(
		'title' => 'Things to Do',
		'slug' => 'things-to-do'
	)
)
$row = array(
	'title' => 'Back to Things to Do',
	'slug' => 'things-to-do'
)
$i = (int) 0
include - APP/View/Layouts/aarp_2023.ctp, line 244
include - APP/View/Layouts/aarp_2023.ctp, line 244
View::_evaluate() - CORE/Cake/View/View.php, line 971
View::_render() - CORE/Cake/View/View.php, line 933
View::renderLayout() - CORE/Cake/View/View.php, line 546
View::render() - CORE/Cake/View/View.php, line 481
Controller::render() - CORE/Cake/Controller/Controller.php, line 963
AppController::renderPage() - APP/Controller/AppController.php, line 136
PlacesController::display() - APP/Controller/PlacesController.php, line 501
ReflectionMethod::invokeArgs() - [internal], line ??
Controller::invokeAction() - CORE/Cake/Controller/Controller.php, line 491
Dispatcher::_invoke() - CORE/Cake/Routing/Dispatcher.php, line 193
Dispatcher::dispatch() - CORE/Cake/Routing/Dispatcher.php, line 167
[main] - APP/webroot/index.php, line 118