- September 9, 2024
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Lowell and Nancy Lohman attend a recent celebration of the planetarium's new upgrades. Courtesy photo
Front: Holly Alderman and twins Ally and Dylan Odom. Back: Alex and Rachel Alderman, Ben Alderman, Lowell Lohman, Nancy Lohman, Mark Odom, Treasa Odom, Kristi Odom and Jared Odom. Courtesy photo
Lowell and Ty Lohman during a recent celebration of the planetarium's new upgrades. Courtesy photo
Assistant Curator of Science Christian Traverson (second from right) showcases one of the spacesuits during a recent celebration of the planetarium's new upgrades. Courtesy photo
Nancy and Lowell Lohman smile and clap during a recent celebration of the planetarium's new upgrades. Courtesy photo
Seth Mayo, MOAS curator of science, speaks during a recent celebration of the planetarium's new upgrades. Courtesy photo
The upgrades to the planetarium lobby included space themed decoration on the doors. Photo by Jarleene Almenas
Equipped with a new and improved projector, audio and light system, and a Digistar 7 Universe simulator, the planetarium is now able to take audiences on a trip through space within seconds. Photo by Jarleene Almenas
Seth Mayo, curator of science at MOAS. Photo by Jarleene Almenas
The planetarium now features images from the Hubble Space Telescope and an exhibit of images from the James Webb Space Telescope. Photo by Jarleene Almenas
A new era of the Lowell and Nancy Lohman Planetarium is blasting off at the Museum of Arts and Sciences.
On June 29, MOAS launched its Planetarium 2.0 programming, highlighting a new cosmic topic every week through Sept. 1 as a sneak preview of what the planetarium is now able to offer. Equipped with a new and improved projector, audio and light system, and a Digistar 7 Universe simulator, the planetarium is now able to take audiences on a trip through space within seconds, from the International Space Station to galaxies on the other side of the universe. Want to see what Mount Everest looks like on the other side of the earth? The planetarium can take you there too.
"What's great about the system too is it shows a lot of live data — things that are happening now," said Seth Mayo, curator of science at MOAS. "So the sun, the system actually tries to show us what sunspots are on the sun right now, that they tap into NASA data, which is really awesome."
The old system couldn't do that.
The planetarium at MOAS was built in 2014 after the museum's original flooded in 2009. In 2019, Lowell and Nancy Lohman, of Ormond Beach, donated $2.5 million to the museum's endowment, which was then tripled by a 2-1 match by Cici and Hyatt Brown.
In 2021, the Lohmans established the Lohman's Museum of of Arts and Sciences Field Study, a program that has granted, to date, 30,000 fifth and eighth grade Volusia County Schools students the chance to visit MOAS for free. The Lohmans have committed to at least six more years of funding the program.
Later that year, the museum celebrated the dedication of the Lowell and Nancy Lohman Family Planetarium.
"Thanks to the Lohmans, and a gracious gift from them, we were able to enhance the planetarium experience and bring it to the next level," Mayo said. "That why we call it Planetarium 2.0, the next generation of the planetarium."
The upgrades to the planetarium extend beyond the domed facility itself — the lobby was also overhauled and now features images from the Hubble Space Telescope and an exhibit of images from the James Webb Space Telescope. The museum also added a video wall screen that staff aims to use to livestream events such as rocket launches or the visuals from their new telescopes during the new monthly Night Sky Festivals.
MOAS also now has a portable planetarium for museum outreach programs and replica space suits on display.
"I think every person who walks in to the planetarium lobby, that leads into the planetarium itself, will have this renewed sense of excitement and wanderlust for what really is out there, and what's the next thing to explore and discover," Nancy Lohman said. "I think that sense of what could be and what's next on our horizon is motivating to everyone and exciting to everyone."
One of the upgrades she and Lowell are most excited about, she said, is the fact that the new Digistar 7 Universe simulator software, created by Evans & Sutherland, grants MOAS access to Smithsonian content.
The space suits are also one of their favorite additions.
"The space suits are so authentic that it allows students to interact with an astronaut, in concept at least, in real-time," Lohman said. "We just think that's a wonderful opportunity for students and children."
Looking at the bigger picture, she said it's very exciting to see that the leadership at MOAS shares their vision of taking the planetarium and the museum to "continued new heights."
The field study is a part of that. The brainchild of School Board member Carl Persis, the Lohmans decided to sponsor the students' participation because the idea resonated with them: It reminded them of how astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson got his start, and the fact this would be a "field study," and not a field trip.
"The idea that no child is left behind is very important to us, that this would not cost any child any money," Lohman said.
The museum is now looking at the planetarium experience at every level, said Mayo, who started working at the planetarium 17 years ago when he was a sophomore at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University. It's only the beginning, he said, and the museum is continuing to look for ways to improve.
"We call it Planetarium 2.0, but there's more numbers to add to that too in the future, and we really are striving to be one of the greatest planetariums, we'd like to be in the country, if not the world," Mayo said. "We want to really show what we can do here in Daytona Beach."
