Maddy Quon covers Charleston County for The Post and Courier. Most recently from Tokyo, Japan, Maddy graduated from the University of Mississippi where she studied journalism.
A planetarium is going to make for an astronomical addition in Charleston.
The Charleston Planetarium Society, a nonprofit dedicated to "bringing the solar system, the universe and innovative STEM experiences to the Lowcountry," is gearing up to open a planetarium across from Planet Fitness in Citadel Mall.
The planetarium will do shows for the public, but will also be available for school groups, birthday parties and corporate events.
Paul Gangarosa, president of the Charleston Planetarium Society's board, said this a feat he's worked toward for a couple years. Growing up in Atlanta, he went to the planetarium all the time. He still visits it whenever he gets the chance.
While Charleston excels in displaying history, Gangarosa said he felt the city could do more with science and STEM.
"I thought this was something that could really add to the charm of the city and really add a whole new dimension for visitors and locals," he said.
The planetarium -- an inflatable dome expected to hold roughly 50 people -- is meant to be a temporary setup.
Chris Fragile, an astronomy professor at College of Charleston, said the goal of the temporary location is for people to realize the benefits of having a planetarium in Charleston, which could lead to sponsors or businesses raising money to help establish a permanent one. In the meantime, he said this is a nice step to let the public see what it's like and give kids more options for field trips.
Gangarosa said the plan is to stay at the Citadel Mall for around three or four years.
"Eventually we would like to get our own space, but this is just testing it out, seeing how the community likes it and how well it takes off," Gangarosa said.
Fragile helped advise what would be needed for a planetarium. Because the college has a portable planetarium, he had insight into what equipment would work best.
Fragile said it makes sense for Charleston to have its own planetarium.
"We have beautiful museums downtown. We have a beautiful aquarium," he said. "It would be nice to have a planetarium that would be comparable."
College of Charleston students may have the opportunity to lead planetarium shows, according to Fragile. The college offers an astronomy degree, so he said it would be a good experience for those students.
There's a lot of anticipation building for the planetarium's opening. Gangarosa said he's received several emails from school groups and teachers who want to take students there for a field trip.
"This city has planetarium fever, big time," Gangarosa said.
He added the opening is great timing as NASA plans to launch Artemis 2 -- a mission where a four-member team will fly around the moon to confirm the spacecraft operates as designed -- in 2026. Gangarosa said this will be a great opportunity to have people engaged in science and STEM.
On top of astronomy, he'd like to expand and have shows about history and marine biology.
The planetarium is still in its final stages and expects to receive equipment and start training in the last week of January. Gangarosa said they expect to open sometime mid- to late February.