At the HR MacMillan Space Centre
BY MACC, January 18, 2013

When humans gaze into the night sky, we can’t help but feel minute in the universe.

That is just how MACC felt as we headed to the HR Macmillan Space Centre, located in a quiet, sedated area, not far away from the bustling city. Sharing a building with the Museum of Vancouver, this small but awe-inspiring facility houses a stage for live performances, a series of cosmic exhibits, and, most stunning of all, a massive 360° Star Theatre built into the roof itself.

A steel crab statue, solemnly standing in the centre of a frozen-over pond, greeted our party. Not long afterwards, we found ourselves in the grand theatre, contemplating the origins of our native star, the neighboring planets, and the entire cosmos beyond, with the presentation of ‘Quest for Origins’.

Perhaps the greatest wonder of the theatre is an extremely accurate star projector dubbed ‘Harold’, nestled in a central area, and the seating radiating out in all directions. Despite its incredible similarity to a mace, Harold was able to predict and project the wonders of the night sky.

Aided by an animated robotic character named ‘Oliver’, the narrator discusses the problematic question of the Big Bang, the discovery of the universe’s expansion using the Doppler Effect, as well as ongoing projects that investigate the great mysteries the cosmos presents us with.

After a brief break, we viewed another theatre program: ‘Night Watch: The Astronomer’s Passion’. This program began with an overview of milestones in the course of astronomy, followed by a rapid slideshow of famous astronomers—after which the narrator remarked that they are currently all dead.

Then, we examined the different theories concerning our place in the universe: from the ridiculous geocentric, to the currently accepted view of just how endless the universe is. This was followed by connections between the science of astronomy, popular culture, and history: constellations, the sun, and the zodiac, as well as the ‘Little Green Men’ radio signal, the new star observed by the Chinese in AD 1140, and finally the current perceptive on supernovas.

Then, the show culminated in a resident astronomer guiding us through the night sky of Vancouver for the night: starting from sunset at 4:55 PM, to Jupiter, Ursa Major and Minor, the Big Dipper, Polaris, Orion’s belt, the Orion Nebula, Taurus, Saturn, Venus, and finally sunrise at approximately 7 AM.

After a time for lunch, we headed down to the exhibits downstairs for a tour of the exhibits (collectively, the ‘Cosmic Courtyard’). Highlights included a simulation of dizziness of space, a looping video concerning the Hubble and Kepler space programs, a discussion of the likeliness of a meteor impact, numerous animated features, a small metal box that fell from a Soviet satellite (later discovered to contain Soviet souvenirs and other paraphernalia), and interactive games simulating a space shuttle docking at the ISS, as well as the virtual planning and launching of a Mars manned mission, facing obstacles such as saboteurs, lack of storage space or supplies, and malfunctioning of essential equipment.

Then, in the live theatre ‘GroundStation Canada’ was a presentation, ‘The Color of Fire’, demonstrating how different chemicals have different light ray signatures (also, colors when burned), and its applications in spectroscopy to investigate the properties of stars such as Polaris. Also discussed were the life cycle of stars, the prospects of another Earth for humans in case our sun expires, and current planet-finding missions. The feature experiment involved lighting chlorides and sulfates, and witnessing colored flames storming through large plastic water jugs.

The visit ended with another stroll through the exhibits, and a moment in Vanier Park’s rolling hills and marine backdrop. As we left the parking lot, some couldn’t help but feel a sense of awe at the universe.

The HR MacMillan Space Centre is located at 1100 Chestnut Street, Vancouver, in Vanier Park. Look for the Gordon MacMillan Southam Observatory, featuring a ½-metre Cassegrain telescope to explore the skies around Vancouver. Weather permitting, it will be open Saturdays at 8 PM.