Under three of the arches of the old Fort Victoria, just to the west of Yarmouth, is the Island’s only planetarium run by a dedicated team of enthusiasts. The planetarium also houses an exhibition dedicated to early astronomer, scientist, engineer and ‘Leonardo Da Vinci of England’, Robert Hooke, who was born in Freshwater in 1635.
Opened in 1993, the Planetarium was established by Director Paul England who has been a lifelong astronomer, taking a four year course in the subject at London University in 1968 after completing a degree in engineering. A career at IBM followed for Paul, but his first love was always astronomy, and he helped his tutor Leslie White keep a planetarium in the dome of The John Crib Church in Lambeth.
Paul moved this mechanical planetarium to the Island in the early 90s, and whilst it is still in pride of place in the exhibition the current planetarium is now digital thanks to the fantastic computer wizardry of Andrew Rowe who was hooked (sic) by the Planetarium when he first visited in 1998 (at the age of 13) and returned after completing a degree in Computer Studies at Portsmouth University.
“My tutor Leslie White kept it set up in the church for his first year students,” explained Paul of the original planetarium. “I kept it set up and looked after it as I was working in the City. In 1985 Leslie and I were talking and he said he couldn’t get up the stairs (120 steps to the top of the dome) and that’s how I came to own it.
“I retired in 1991 and I had a home on the Island and with the help of the Council I took these three arches and built a planetarium. We’ve been here nearly 20 years now – next year will be our twentieth year. We built it by October 1992 and opened in May 1993.
“About two and a half years ago Andrew said to me, “You must come into the digital age, which is what you see around you,” explained Paul as he ushered me into the ‘astrodome’ viewing theatre. “Two years ago we took out the planetarium that stood on this pillar and put this one in.
“We have four shows and each one lasts about 20 to 25 minutes. It’s great for kids: lots of colour and things happening. It’s immersive now and all the shows we have here have been written by Andrew. We have ‘Welcome to the Universe’, ‘More than Meets The Eye’, ‘Journey to the Stars’ and ‘Stargazer’ that is aimed at young people doing A Level Physics about the chemistry of the stars.
“Andrew produces the monthly Star Guide every month, and we are hoping to run a Star Log Club on Friday evenings for youngsters in 2012. We also have a mobile planetarium that we take to mainland and Island schools that is very popular.
“In the season we have a Solar Trail in the park outside. The sun is just outside the planetarium and as you walk through the park the planets are on the way to the headland – just under a kilometre and it takes about 40 minutes.”
The first arch you enter is the planetarium shop with ‘make your own rocket’ packs along with other star gazing related items. In the corner is the original planetarium machine. Walking through into the middle arch towards the astrodome you encounter the astronomy exhibition that includes a centrepiece and large corner on Robert Hooke and his life. The Robert Hooke Society was reformed by Paul with Trevor Clarke in 2005/6 and they meet here too.
“Hooke had the idea that you could measure the distance to the stars using a telescope but it took another 200 years to get the technology right,” explained Paul. “There is a trail around Freshwater in his memory that was funded by a lottery grant. Arnold Taylor and Charlie Davidson conceived it back in 2008.
The central box rises by an electric hoist so that the large Tellurium can be positioned on the table that shows the earth and the sun, explaining the seasons and the changing length of day. Then you walk through a ‘tardis’ door and into the astrodome where the whole universe opens up before your very eyes.
The Planetarium will reopen in mid January.
