The University of Texas at Arlington is celebrating a major milestone, marking 20 years of its planetarium inspiring curiosity and education in science and space.
For two decades, the planetarium on UTA’s campus has offered visitors an immersive window into the universe, drawing in students, families and space enthusiasts from across the community.
University leaders and supporters gathered to celebrate the anniversary, highlighting the program’s wide-reaching impact.
“So far, we hosted about 750,000 K-12 kids alone, and we exceeded a million visitors over 20 years, and we certainly expired a generation in this place,” said Levent Gurdemir, Planetarium Director.
The milestone comes at a time of renewed excitement around space exploration, following a successful Artemis mission by NASA. Retired astronaut Chris Cassidy was on hand to help mark the occasion.
“I mean, that’s what we want to see, right?” said Dowd.
Planetarium coordinator McKenna Dowd said recent developments in space exploration have sparked increased curiosity from the public, especially in recent weeks.
“It’s really incredible to see inspiration spark and curiosity in a lot of the general public and our community, and we’re here. We’re here to answer your questions, to help continue to fuel that curiosity that you have,” said Dowd.
At the heart of that experience is the planetarium’s 60-foot dome, designed to fully immerse visitors in space and science in a way classrooms alone cannot.
“You know, at schools, they go through their regular courses and studying but seeing here live what is really happening visually has a huge impact. We’re also looking to inspire curious minds, that aha moment,” said Mortez Khaledi, College of Science Dean.
Organizers say the goal is to continue inspiring future scientists and explorers for generations to come.
“Now’s as perfect a time as ever to visit the planetarium, right?” said Dowd.
This story was originally reported for broadcast by NBC DFW. AI tools helped convert the story into a digital article, and an NBC DFW journalist edited it again before publication.