RUM Planetarium
Encyclopedia
The RUM Planetarium is the only planetarium in Puerto Rico
. It is located in the fourth floor of the Physics building of the University of Puerto Rico at Mayagüez
in Mayagüez, Puerto Rico
.
currently run the Planetarium and its Astronomical Observatory. Both were inaugurated in 1973 and have continued working and functioning uninterruptedly since.
The Planetarium is a projection room whose hemispherical screen simulates the Celestial sphere
. In this screen one can observe close to 4,000 stars, simulating the sky as seen from anywhere in the world and at any time of year. The Planetarium has room for sixty-four people sitting in reclinable seats, allowing greater visibility into the dome. The star projector is located in the center of the hall and is controlled from a computerized console. Apart from its academic uses in the University of Puerto Rico
, the Planetarium is used as a complement to the curriculum of public and private schools in Puerto Rico in the areas of physics, astronomy, Earth Sciences and space sciences.
The Observatory of the Physics Department also have a telescope with a 16 inches (406.4 mm) primary mirror. This telescope is controlled by computer and enables the video transmission of astronomical imagery obtained using a CCD camera.
They also provide services to the University community and the western area of Puerto Rico
through open houses once or twice a month during the night. During these activities, visits can be coordinated to visit the Planetarium and the Observatory.
Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico , officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico , is an unincorporated territory of the United States, located in the northeastern Caribbean, east of the Dominican Republic and west of both the United States Virgin Islands and the British Virgin Islands.Puerto Rico comprises an...
. It is located in the fourth floor of the Physics building of the University of Puerto Rico at Mayagüez
University of Puerto Rico at Mayagüez
The University of Puerto Rico at Mayagüez or Recinto Universitario de Mayagüez in Spanish , is a land-grant, sea-grant, space-grant state university located in the city of Mayagüez, Puerto Rico...
in Mayagüez, Puerto Rico
Mayagüez, Puerto Rico
Mayagüez is the eighth-largest municipality of Puerto Rico. Originally founded as "Nuestra Señora de la Candelaria" it is also known as "La Sultana del Oeste" , "Ciudad de las Aguas Puras" , or "Ciudad del Mangó"...
.
Planetarium and observatory
The Physics department of the UPRM College of Arts and SciencesUPRM College of Arts and Sciences
The UPRM College of Arts and Sciences is one of four colleges of University of Puerto Rico at Mayaguez. The College of Arts and Sciences is the major college of UPRM.-History:The falculty was created when Luis Stefani was heading the Colegio...
currently run the Planetarium and its Astronomical Observatory. Both were inaugurated in 1973 and have continued working and functioning uninterruptedly since.
The Planetarium is a projection room whose hemispherical screen simulates the Celestial sphere
Celestial sphere
In astronomy and navigation, the celestial sphere is an imaginary sphere of arbitrarily large radius, concentric with the Earth and rotating upon the same axis. All objects in the sky can be thought of as projected upon the celestial sphere. Projected upward from Earth's equator and poles are the...
. In this screen one can observe close to 4,000 stars, simulating the sky as seen from anywhere in the world and at any time of year. The Planetarium has room for sixty-four people sitting in reclinable seats, allowing greater visibility into the dome. The star projector is located in the center of the hall and is controlled from a computerized console. Apart from its academic uses in the University of Puerto Rico
University of Puerto Rico
The University of Puerto Rico is the state university system of Puerto Rico. The system consists of 11 campuses and has approximately 64,511 students and 5,300 faculty members...
, the Planetarium is used as a complement to the curriculum of public and private schools in Puerto Rico in the areas of physics, astronomy, Earth Sciences and space sciences.
The Observatory of the Physics Department also have a telescope with a 16 inches (406.4 mm) primary mirror. This telescope is controlled by computer and enables the video transmission of astronomical imagery obtained using a CCD camera.
They also provide services to the University community and the western area of Puerto Rico
Porta del Sol
Porta del Sol is a tourism region in western Puerto Rico. It consist of 17 municipalities in the western area: Quebradillas, Isabela, San Sebastián, Moca, Aguadilla, Aguada, Rincón, Añasco, Mayagüez, Las Marías, Maricao, Hormigueros, San Germán, Sábana Grande, Guánica, Lajas and Cabo Rojo. Porta...
through open houses once or twice a month during the night. During these activities, visits can be coordinated to visit the Planetarium and the Observatory.