WKU News

WKU’s Hardin Planetarium is reopening on Tuesday (October 10) after four weeks of closure for repairs to the projection system.

In mid-September the planetarium’s projector experienced a technical failure. “Without a projector, there is no planetarium show, so this was urgent," Planetarium Specialist Chris Chandler explained. "Finding a repair shop for such a specialty device was challenging, but we found a vendor who was able to provide quality service.”

The repair was expected to take as long as two months but was completed in four weeks. In that time both entrances to the planetarium have been renovated.

"We understand this was frustrating to our guests accustomed to a predictable schedule," Chandler said. "We greatly appreciate the flexibility and patience of our guests, and shows are now back on schedule."

“’Pink Floyd: The Dark Side of the Moon:’ 50 Years in a Heartbeat” will be shown on Friday nights and select Saturdays through March 2024. Tickets are available on the planetarium’s website.

The regular public show, “Lives of the Stars,” is free and allows guests to point a laser pointer at a star in the virtual sky to learn the star’s name, its distance, and the star’s size and color. Using this information, guests learn about the life cycle of stars. Free public shows are presented every Tuesday and Thursday at 7 p.m. and Sunday at 2 p.m. For information, visit www.wku.edu/planetarium

Contact: Chris Chandler, (270) 745-4044, hardin.planetatrium@wku.edu,