By Chris Howell
On a daily basis, students walk up the seemingly never-ending steps by Lot 1, cleverly coined “Cardiac Hill,” to class. When they reach the top, aside from being out of breath, they fail to notice the building sitting in front of them. That building is the Planetarium.
“Stars, big deal,” you may be thinking, but the Planetarium has much more to offer than constellations. “Over 20,000 students of all ages attend the Planetarium over the course of the year,” says Jerome Vinski, director of the Planetarium. “We even hosted a field trip from Brick Memorial which is located in Ocean County—that’s pretty far.”
The Planetarium isn’t just for students. It is open to the public on weekends with both matinee and evening shows. So what’s creating the buzz for the Planetarium?
Just as movies are enhanced by special effects, the Planetarium uses lots of advanced technology. DVDs and various types of projectors enable the viewer to feel as though they are traveling through the final frontier. All this is equipment that you would expect to find in a Planetarium. However, the RVCC Planetarium has another trick up its sleeve. In true Star Wars fashion, the Planetarium incorporates lasers into its shows to entertain its audiences.
Saturday afternoons and evenings, the Planetarium takes a break from stars and faraway planets to have a jam session with the Rock and Roll legends of our planet. The shows take place in the Planetarium, but don’t expect to learn about outer space. Instead audiences can sit back and enjoy the sights and sounds of a laser concert. The shows feature various rock groups such as The Doors, The Beatles, U2, and Pink Floyd, as well as Pop singers Billy Joel and Madonna.
Vivid colors move together across the Planetarium walls, set to particular themes, to create both a visual and listening experience. The laser projector is a unique piece of equipment in itself. It rotates so the lasers can project across the entire room.
The concerts are entertaining but may not be for everyone. If you aren’t into rock music, chances are you will not enjoy the show. Also those with sensitive eyes may not enjoy the show. “The show hurt my eyes a bit, and I walked out with a little bit of a headache,” Linda Missal, a student, says. “But the graphics were awesome and the music was good.”
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