W. A. Gayle Planetarium

Last updated
W. A. Gayle Planetarium
Front of W. A. Gayle Planetarium.jpg
Front of W. A. Gayle Planetarium
W. A. Gayle Planetarium
Location within Montgomery
General information
Type Planetarium
Location Oak Park
Address1010 Forest Ave, Montgomery, Alabama
Coordinates 32°22′05″N86°17′13″W / 32.368°N 86.287°W / 32.368; -86.287
OpenedSeptember 25, 1968
Other information
Seating capacity159
Website
www.troy.edu/planetarium/

The W.A. Gayle Planetarium is operated by Troy University for the city of Montgomery, Alabama. It provides public presentations and exhibits on astronomy, planetary science, and space exploration.

Overview

The W.A. Gayle Planetarium is a planetarium located in Oak Park in the city of Montgomery, Alabama. Dedicated on September 25, 1968, [1] the planetarium is named after William Armistead Gayle, [2] mayor of Montgomery from 1952 to 1959. It is currently operated by Troy University for the City of Montgomery.

Daily public shows typically offer visitors a full-dome movie about a current topic in astronomy and planetary science. Interactive presentations provide a tour of the night sky over Montgomery, pointing out what planets, stars, and constellations can be seen overhead. The 159-seat theater uses a Super MediaGlobe II digital projection system (installed in 2014 [3] ) to simulate the night sky. Other exhibits include a scale model of the Hubble Space Telescope, images of celestial objects, and a black lit hallway depicting the history of astronomy. [4] The planetarium is currently closed on Saturdays. [5]

Coordinates: 32°22′05″N86°17′15″W / 32.368149°N 86.287416°W / 32.368149; -86.287416

Related Research Articles

Montgomery, Alabama Capital of Alabama

Montgomery is the capital city of the U.S. state of Alabama and the county seat of Montgomery County. Named for Richard Montgomery, it stands beside the Alabama River, on the coastal Plain of the Gulf of Mexico. In the 2010 Census, Montgomery's population was 205,764. According to the US estimated census of 2019, it is the third most populous city in Alabama, after Birmingham and Huntsville, and is the 118th most populous in the United States. The Montgomery Metropolitan Statistical Area's population in 2010 was estimated at 374,536; it is the fourth largest in the state and 136th among United States metropolitan areas.

Montgomery County, Alabama County in Alabama, United States

Montgomery County is located in the State of Alabama. As of the 2010 census, its population was 229,363, making it the fourth-most populous county in Alabama. Its county seat is Montgomery, the state capital.

Adler Planetarium United States historic place

The Adler Planetarium is a public museum dedicated to the study of astronomy and astrophysics. It was founded in 1930 by Chicago business leader Max Adler. It is located on the northeast tip of Northerly Island at the shore of Lake Michigan in Chicago, Illinois. The Adler was the first planetarium in the United States and is part of Chicago's Museum Campus, which includes the John G. Shedd Aquarium and The Field Museum. The Adler's mission is to inspire exploration and understanding of the universe.

Griffith Observatory

Griffith Observatory is a facility in Los Angeles, California, sitting on the south-facing slope of Mount Hollywood in Los Angeles' Griffith Park. It commands a view of the Los Angeles Basin, including Downtown Los Angeles to the southeast, Hollywood to the south, and the Pacific Ocean to the southwest. The observatory is a popular tourist attraction with a close view of the Hollywood Sign and an extensive array of space and science-related displays. Admission has been free since the observatory's opening in 1935, in accordance with the will of Griffith J. Griffith, the benefactor after whom the observatory is named.

Space Place at Carter Observatory Historic observatory in Wellington, New Zealand

Space Place at Carter Observatory is housed in a historic astronomical observatory located at the top of the Wellington Botanic Garden in Wellington, New Zealand.

London Planetarium Historic tourist attraction in London - now closed

The building known as the London Planetarium is in Marylebone Road, London. It is adjacent to Madame Tussauds and is owned by the same company. A famous London landmark, it was once a notable tourist attraction, housing a planetarium, which offered shows relating to space and astronomy.

Fleet Science Center Science museum and planetarium in San Diego, United States

The Fleet Science Center is a science museum and planetarium in Balboa Park, located in San Diego, California. It is at the east end of the El Prado Drive walkway, next to the Bea Evenson Fountain and plaza in central Balboa Park.

WZHT Radio station in Troy, Alabama

WZHT is a Mainstream Urban formatted radio station that broadcasts on the 105.7 MHz frequency licensed to Troy, Alabama, that serves the Montgomery area. It is owned by iHeartMedia, Inc., and is one-third of the all-urban Montgomery cluster, complementing urban AC's WWMG and urban gospel's WHLW. The studios for the three stations are located in East Montgomery near Eastdale Mall, and WZHT shares a transmitter with television station WSFA in Grady, Alabama. The transmitter location gives WZHT an unusually large coverage as such, which has one of the tallest towers in the Southern United States at 1,830 feet; it was acknowledged in its former slogan "The Station You Hear Everywhere".

Rainwater Observatory and Planetarium

Rainwater Observatory and Planetarium is an educational astronomical observatory and Planetarium run as an educational ministry of French Camp Academy. It is located near French Camp, Mississippi, United States. It is the largest observatory in Mississippi with 16+ telescopes, with the largest instruments including a 32-inch Dobsonian telescope and 14-inch Celestron catadioptric telescope. Rainwater is currently awaiting delivery of the Sollee Telescope, a 25-inch research-grade telescope. When installed in the two-story observatory building already constructed in the observatory complex, the Sollee Telescope will be suitable for serious astronomical studies, in the last remaining "dark spot" in Mississippi on the U.S. Dark Skies photograph.

McLaughlin Planetarium Planetarium museum in Ontario, Canada.

The McLaughlin Planetarium is a former working planetarium whose building occupies a space immediately to the south of the Royal Ontario Museum in Toronto, at 100 Queen's Park. Founded by a grant from philanthropist Colonel R. Samuel McLaughlin, the facility was opened to the public on October 26, 1968. It had, for its time, a state-of-the-art electro-mechanical Zeiss planetarium projector that was used to project regular themed shows about the stars, planets, and cosmology for visitors. By the 1980s the planetarium's sound-system and domed ceiling were used to display dazzling music-themed laser-light shows. The lower levels of the planetarium contained a gallery called the "Astrocentre" that featured space-related exhibits, related artifacts on the history of astronomy and was also home of the world's first commercial Stellarium

Troy University at Montgomery

Troy University at Montgomery is a satellite campus of Troy University and is located in Montgomery, Alabama. It is part of the Troy University System. The campus is located in the western part of downtown, and includes the Rosa Parks Museum and Library, the Davis Theatre for the Performing Arts, and portions of the historic Bell Building. But also has other campuses around the state of Alabama. The university also operates the W.A. Gayle Planetarium in Oak Park.

ʻImiloa Astronomy Center Astronomy and culture education center located in Hilo, Hawaii, United States

ʻImiloa Astronomy Center is an astronomy and culture education center located in Hilo, Hawaii. It features exhibits and shows dealing with Hawaiian culture and history, astronomy, and the overlap between the two.

Rose Center for Earth and Space Part of the American Museum of Natural History

The Rose Center for Earth and Space is a part of the American Museum of Natural History in New York City. The Center's complete name is The Frederick Phineas and Sandra Priest Rose Center for Earth and Space. The main entrance is located on the northern side of the museum on 81st Street near Central Park West in Manhattan's Upper West Side. Completed in 2000, it includes the new Hayden Planetarium, the original of which was opened in 1935 and closed in 1997. Neil deGrasse Tyson is its first and, to date, only director.

Montgomery Museum of Fine Arts Art Museum in Alabama, USA

The Montgomery Museum of Fine Arts is a museum located in Montgomery, Alabama, USA, featuring several art collections. The permanent collection includes examples of 19th- and 20th-century American paintings and sculpture, Southern regional art, Old Master prints and decorative arts. It is also home to ARTWORKS, a participatory art gallery and studio for children.

Fairbanks Museum and Planetarium Natural science museum and planetarium in St. Johnsbury, Vermont

The Fairbanks Museum & Planetarium is a combination natural science museum, history museum, and planetarium located in St. Johnsbury, Vermont. It was founded in 1890 by businessman, politician, naturalist, and collector Franklin Fairbanks. The museum and its buildings are on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places.

Birla Planetarium, Chennai Planetarium museum in Chennai, India.

B. M. Birla Planetarium is a large planetarium in Chennai providing a virtual tour of the night sky and holding cosmic shows on a specially perforated hemispherical aluminium inner dome. The fifth B. M. Birla planetarium in the country, it is located at Kotturpuram in the Periyar Science and Technology Centre campus which houses eight galleries, namely, Physical Science, Electronics and Communication, Energy, Life Science, Innovation, Transport, International Dolls and Children and Materials Science, with over 500 exhibits. Built in 1988 in the memory of the great industrialist and visionary of India B. M. Birla, it is the most modern planetarium in India. Other Birla planetariums in India include the M. P. Birla Planetarium in Kolkata, the Birla Planetarium in Hyderabad, and the planetariums in Tiruchirapalli and Coimbatore.

Astronomical Society of Glasgow

The Astronomical Society of Glasgow (ASG) was founded in 1954 in Glasgow, Scotland, by amateur astronomers and is dedicated to promoting an interest in Astronomy.

Rio Tinto Alcan Planetarium

The Rio Tinto Alcan Planetarium is the successor to the Montreal Planetarium, and is located in the Espace pour la Vie, near the Olympic Stadium and the Biodome in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The new installation has two separate theatres as well as exhibits on space and astronomy. It was officially opened in April 2013.

William Armistead "Tacky" Gayle, Jr. was an American politician for the Democratic Party, soldier and author who was the mayor of Montgomery, Alabama, from 1951 to 1959.

Rosa Parks Museum Church in Alabama , United States

The Rosa Parks Museum is located on the Troy University at Montgomery satellite campus, in Montgomery, Alabama. It has information, exhibits, and some artifacts from the 1955 Montgomery bus boycott. This museum is named after civil rights activist Rosa Parks, who is known for refusing to surrender her seat to a white person on a city bus.

References

  1. "Editorial: The Planetarium Dedication". WSFA-TV. September 26, 1968.
  2. "ABOUT | Montgomery Botanical Gardens". Montgomery Botanical Gardens. Retrieved 2017-10-11.
  3. Staff, WSFA 12 News. "W.A. Gayle planetarium in Montgomery to reopen March 9" . Retrieved 2017-10-11.
  4. "Stars Shine at the W.A. Gayle Planetarium". Midtown Montgomery Living. 2012-08-15. Retrieved 2017-10-11.
  5. "troy.edu - W.A. Gayle Planetarium". www.troy.edu. Retrieved 2017-10-09.