THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Tuesday, August 30, 1994 TAG: 9408300043
SECTION: DAILY BREAK PAGE: E4 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: SHERRIE BOYER
LENGTH: Medium: 69 lines
THE NIGHT, with its dancing fireflies, owls, spaceships, stars and the moon, is a fascination for us.
``You know me,'' Allio says confidently. ``I'm very interested in visiting other planets.'' She wonders if we could get to the grandparents in Pennsylvania faster by spaceship, and if stars are made from the same stuff as the moon.
At the Chesapeake Planetarium, we study a model rocket and a picture of a reddish planet, Jupiter. But the prize was the show when the lights went out.
Robert Hitt, director, dims the lights and starts a fascinating and funny commentary of the night sky. I worried that Allio, 5, would find this dull, but Hitt's skill as a storyteller, bits of folklore and the lights on the 22-foot dome, captivated everyone.
We learned that Venus is the third brightest item in the sky, after the sun and moon (Allio correctly whispered beside me), and that one day, in about 14,000 years, a blue star named Vega will be the new North Star.
Beside us in the darkness, the Grubb family - Kevin, Debbie, and their twins, Lynn and Josh - whispered and pointed to the dome. This was their third trip to the planetarium, and the parents were as amazed as the children.
Lynn, Josh and Allio are interested more in a summer triangle of stars, a harp, eagle and swan, and the stories that followed. Hitt invited us to find a bear on the starry dome, but I could only point out the Big Dipper, which we soon learned is the same thing.
``He's just tricking us,'' Allio whispered moments before a bear, outlined in yellow, stepped along the arc of the dipper. Hitt introduced Ursa Major by way of sky stories - that the tail is long because he was spun through the sky so rapidly it stretched. At this, the audience laughs, adults and children both.
There are other stories Hitt uses as he illustrates the sky in our minds. He tells of seven Indian brothers escaping a buffalo stampede by climbing up a tall tree. One rescues his baby sister and holds her close. Around the room, I know imaginations see the limbs of a sturdy tree, with strong boys clutching the bark, and in the arms of one, a tiny girl with trust in her eyes. Hitt tells us the brothers are still in the tree; they climbed so high and the tree is so tall, we can see them every night, waiting for the stampede to pass.
The stories mean a lot to Allio. I watch as she listens closely, sorting out the details in her mind. She worries about Jupiter who threw Phaeton into the sea, about the scorpion who frightens horses and a friend who became a swan.
There are five planetariums in the area, but only three offer regular shows to the public. Two are small domes run by public school systems.
In Chesapeake, the free public show is every Thursday at 8 p.m. Reservations are required; the bench-style seats fill with 100 to 120 visitors well in advance of weekly shows. Call 547-0153.
In Virginia Beach, the free public show is every Tuesday at 7 p.m. and reservations are recommended for the 118 seats. The planetarium is at Plaza Middle School, 3080 South Lynnhaven Road. Call 431-4067. Both recommend audiences of kindergarten age or older, although quiet, younger children are welcome.
The third area planetarium is at the Virginia Living Museum in Newport News. Shows are offered daily at 11 a.m. and 1:30, 2:30 and 3:30 p.m. The cost, to the planetarium only, is $2.50/adults, $2/children 3 to 12. Children age 4 and under are only admitted for the 2:30 p.m. show. Call 1-595-1900.
The planetariums at Old Dominion and Norfolk State universities offer prescheduled group shows and occasional public shows. For details, call 683-4108 (ODU) or 683-8240 (NSU). by CNB