According to a statement issued last week, the Santa Rosa Junior College (SRJC) planetarium, which was originally built in 1980, will temporarily close for the fall 2018 semester in order to perform a technical and structural assessment of the facility.
The planetarium has previously hosted thousands of attendees in its 38 years in existence, for shows such as “How to Measure the Cosmos” and “Exploring the Depths of Our Summer Sky.”
According to the statement, due to the age of the facility, which has never undergone structural renovation, the college plans to perform a full assessment of the viability of the building and equipment. Potential plans for renovation will be considered following the assessment. The planetarium will remain closed until Spring 2019 at a minimum. No date has been set to reopen the facility.
SRJC Dean of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics, Victor Tam said that he was disappointed to have to temporarily close the facility. “The SRJC planetarium has delighted thousands of schoolchildren, students and community members for over three decades,” he said. “But this assessment is necessary to ensure the continued excellence of any programs and shows we offer at SRJC.”
More information on the planetarium is available at https://planetarium.santarosa.edu/
