On Thursday, nearly 200 kindergarten students from South Irvine Elementary School were treated to a field trip to the Hummel Planetarium, where they learned that no matter where people are from, they see the same sky when they look up.
The field trip was made possible by a grant from Eastern Kentucky University Center for Appalachian Regional Engagement and Stewardship (CARES) which paid for admission tickets and the purchase of the new program called “Big Bird’s Adventure: One World, One Sky.”
Students learned about the Big Dipper, the North Star, the sun and the moon as they took a virtual tour through space with Big Bird, Elmo and a Chinese friend, Hu Hu Zhu.
Students also had the opportunity to see a 33-pound meteorite found in a field in Tazewell, Tenn.
South Irvine principal Lisa Reece and James Hughes, interim manager at the planetarium, worked together to plan the event.
Hughes, a resident of Irvine all his life, has been employed by the planetarium for eight years. He said it has recently been upgraded with a new projection system, new shows and additional seating.
Kindergarten students from South Irvine were the first to view the new show, said South Irvine principal Lisa Reece.
The program is geared toward children in second grade or younger, and thousands more will eventually see it.
Hughes says the planetarium is currently booking school and group shows and will be reopening for public shows soon. Show titles, times and ticket prices may be viewed at www.planetarium.eku.edu.