The Yahn Planetarium offers an on-campus-glimpse into the universe, and into the past, for the students of Penn State Behrend and those in the community. Before it was relocation to the Behrend campus in 2014, the planetarium had been based in the Watson-Curtze Mansion in Erie, PA. Its addition to the mansion, in 1959, found its way into headlines. The Erie Planetarium had been the 5th planetarium in the state of Pennsylvania. In a time of planetary exploration, the likes of which had never been seen, Erie had made itself part of a rapid change.

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Now located in the Hammermill building, space dedicated to the planetarium is used to showcase the projection room itself and several interactable exhibits. There are three shows highlighted on Yahn’s website: Thursdays offer one show at 1 p.m., and Saturdays hold two shows, one at 1 p.m. and another at 2:30 p.m. The earlier of these shows highlight the effect of the sun on the solar system and the Earth itself, in an interesting documentary played directly overhead. Jim Gavio, the director of the planetarium, said that the shows will be changing more frequently than they have in years past. Rather than the content of the show being static for a full semester, Gavio says that the planetarium staff will roll out new shows in October of this year. The goal of this shift is to allow people to come in more often and see a program that they have never seen before.

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Said shows are, expectedly, different from those in 1959. However, they continue the legacy of the Erie Planetarium: fueling their viewer’s passion for space observation. Children, students, and adults alike are encouraged to come and learn about the universe, and an entire room was wearing their excitement on their sleeves.

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“Checking out the constellations was really cool because I can see a lot of them, but I don’t really know what I’m looking at. The whole thing was a great experience,” said Jeremy Houle, after the show had concluded. Houle said that his home afforded him a view of the night sky, but that the planetarium had the information that he needed to process the stunning sight.

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The finale--an intimate view of the night sky, as it can be seen at this time of the year--always closes out the events. The lights dimmed, and the stars and planets bright against the black ceiling pleased the crowd seated under the dome. Questions poured in about the locations of specific constellations, planets, and stars. The staff were able to pull the gaze of the crowd around the room to any point of interest in the night sky with ease and assist in future stargazing opportunities.