MISSOULA — The University of Montana's planetarium has been up and running since 2014, but projector problems require a system upgrade.
Your chance to see the stars could still be bright though as UM has launched a fundraising campaign.
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"The total system upgrade is $117,000," Brianna Beller, the planetarium's director, said.
A major upgrade is needed to keep the stars shining bright after the projector from the planetarium's early days stopped working, potentially halting the 'out-of-this-world' experience available to students and the public.
"People of all ages love to sit down and travel around the solar system and see the planets that are so far away from us," Beller said.
UM has found a temporary solution by borrowing a backup projector from Cosm, but there is no contingency plan if that system fails.
“This is not a new projector," Beller said, referencing the backup. "It was sitting in storage for years, lent out to planetariums while repairs were happening."
Public shows, classes and a variety of events are held in the stargazing room.
"In the last academic year we had over 3,000 K through 12 students come through here," Beller added.
But the future of the Physics Department's educational experience could be at stake without donations, which is why operation 'Save the Planetarium' is fully underway.
"We're really hoping that that will help to start a domino effect of grants and potentially larger donations coming through that can really help us to get this across the finish line," Beller explained.
The planetarium is contributing $25,000 to the campaign, but there is still more to raise.
You have until November 13th to donate. Click here to donate or read more about the fundraiser.
