A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away, a beam of light took off.
This beam -- weather conditions permitting, which can be an iffy proposition in early April -- will be entering the aperture of a beautiful new telescope in Centerport at the
Vanderbilt Planetarium on a Friday night. It will then strike the retina of a human being -- quite possibly the retina of a 10-year-old human being, who will then say, "Ooh, will you look at THAT, Mom!"
This telescope -- ahem, excuse me while I take a deep breath -- is a Meade LX-200R with a 16-inch reflector, GPS technology, Primary Mirror Lock, Zero Image-Shift Microfocuser, Oversized Primary Mirror, Smart Drive, Smart Mount, and (of course) advanced Ritchey-Chrétien optics.
What all this means is you can see stars really clearly with this baby.
It cost the Suffolk County Vanderbilt Museum and Planetarium -- or, rather, taxpayers -- about $15,000 when the facility took possession in February. The Meade replaces another instrument, which was retired. (The Custer Institute observatory in Southold will likely get it.)
There are many wonderful things about the Vanderbilt -- named for that swaggering old drag-racing daredevil, Willie K. -- but let's just focus on the new telescope. Dave Bush, planetarium technical and production coordinator, says "the greatest attractions" for visitors who look through it "have been the moon and Saturn's rings. But you look at deep space nebula and people say: 'What's that? It looks like a fuzzy patch.' Well, that's what it is."
His colleague Lorraine Vernola, assistant director of public programming, adds that "another disappointment is when people look at a star and expect to see flames coming out."
Sorry, but not even the Hubble gets that good a view. The Vanderbilt's new miniature Hubble is part of a general overhaul at the planetarium. By next summer, says Bush, the Vanderbilt will have a new star projector, surround-sound and full-dome video.
The overhaul comes at a propitious moment. On a recent visit, a show was halted when the audio playback deck went on the fritz. The poor thing certainly deserved a nap -- this planetarium has been entertaining and educating Long Islanders since 1970.
Nevertheless, the planetarium is a jewel, and squatting in its center is a star projector that looks like a Cylon warship from "Battlestar Galactica." When the lights go down and the projector fires up, your breath is momentarily taken away as 3,600 points of light appear overhead.
Let's say your planetarium show ends unexpectedly. Then head down the hill to Willie K.'s incredible Jazz Age monument to himself -- a gorgeous, strange, tangled, endlessly fascinating and almost certainly haunted Spanish Revival mansion that is nearly as eye-popping as the stars. The cost for this glorious extravaganza is $7 to see the house, another $3 for the planetarium, or (evenings only) $5 to see a show of the planetarium and stars.
The new telescope powers up Fridays from 8:30 to 10:30 p.m., and there will be a special opening on April 24.
Before you go, just make sure there are no clouds.
WHEN & WHERE: Suffolk County Vanderbilt Museum & Planetarium, 180 Little Neck Rd., Centerport; 631-854-5555,
vanderbiltmuseum.org.
Hours: Tuesday-Friday, noon-4 p.m.; Saturday, 11:30 a.m.-5 p.m.; Sunday, noon-5 p.m. Closed Mondays. Planetarium also open Friday and Saturday, 7-10:30 p.m.
Fee: $7 adults, $3 kids under 12; additional $3 for house tour or planetarium show; Evening plantarium shows, $5, $3.50 for kids; laser shows, $10 adults, $8 kids.
Plan your visit: Planetarium shows are subject to change; call ahead for the most up-to-date information.
