Kika Silva Pla Planetarium, Science museum at Santa Fe College in Gainesville, United States.
The Kika Silva Pla Planetarium is a domed theater at Santa Fe College in Gainesville, Florida, with a 34-foot-diameter dome seating 60 people. It uses two projection systems: an In-Space-System 1C-3K digital projector by RSA Cosmos and a Chronos optical-mechanical space simulator made by Goto.
The planetarium was dedicated in September 2006 and opened to the public in September 2007 on the Northwest Campus of Santa Fe College. It was funded by a donation from John Pla and his wife Amy Howard, on behalf of the Pla family, in recognition of his mother Kika Silva Pla's commitment to education, social justice and civic engagement, with additional support from a special federal appropriation arranged by Congressman Cliff Stearns. Laurent Pellerin was its first coordinator; James C. Albury took over in October 2009.
The facility engages students and community members through interactive astronomy shows, scientific presentations, and educational programs that explore space and physics.
Visitors should check the show schedule in advance since presentations run at set times throughout the day. The facility is easily accessible from the campus grounds and accommodates different age groups.
The planetarium screens productions from international institutions covering topics ranging from Mars exploration to universal phenomena. These programs rotate regularly and bring current scientific discoveries into the domed theater.
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