Hastings Museum of Natural and Cultural History

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50th Anniversary Celebration

Laser Light Shows

“J.M. McDonald Jr. breaking ground for the new J.M. McDonald Planetarium” reads the caption from this picture taken on April 16, 1958. From left to right: Charles Dean, Chamber of Commerce manager; W.E. Eigsti, museum director; A.F. Scmaaf, museum board member; J.M. McDonald Jr., Fred C. Barth, Hastings mayor; S.V. McClure, J.M. McDonald Foundation member; Mrs. Gretchen Lainson, museum board member; C.R. Hide, museum board member.

September 12-14, 2008

50th

Members Only Show
Friday, September 12 at 7:00 p.m.

Enjoy cake and punch and see the future of planetarium show. Call Visitor Services to make your reservation.

Photos from the 50th Anniversary Celebration

To celebrate the 50th Anniversary of the J.M. McDonald Planetarium, we'll be showing the future of planetarium shows with a full-dome video show. Here, a single video image covers nearly the entire dome surface.

Showtimes

Saturday, Sep 13 1:00 p.m., 2:30 p.m. & 4:00 p.m.
Sunday, Sep 14 2:30 p.m. & 4:00 p.m.

Planetarium shows are included with museum admission or museum membership.

History

On September 12, 1958, the first shows inside the brand-new J.M. McDonald Planetarium were presented to the public.

The planetarium’s birth was the result of the efforts of many dedicated people. Former museum director W.E. Eigsti dreamed of “skycastles”— a planetarium as part of the museum. J.M. McDonald Sr. was dedicated to bringing educational opportunities to children and supported the idea from the start. Funds donated by the foundation bearing his name would be used to build the planetarium. J.M. McDonald Jr. continued in the footsteps of his father after the latter’s death just before the planetarium’s opening, offering key financial support until his own passing in 1972.

By modern standards, the planetarium’s equipment at its opening would qualify as quaint. Standing in the middle of the dome, a Spitz A-2 instrument projected 400 stars — all at the same brightness. A single speaker high on the dome provided sound when needed. A silhouette of a farm scene as viewed from south of Hastings — with identifiable landmarks — ringed the dome. Bench-style seating allowed a maximum audience of 60 people to view the simulated night sky.

Nonetheless, the planetarium was popular from the start. Over 6,000 visitors had viewed its stars by the end of 1958.

Nearly fifty years and 801,000 additional visitors later, the planetarium now sports a Minolta MS-8 star projector, 30 slide projectors and additional special effects units, video projection, and automation. The planetarium’s exhibit area includes two additional video displays plus a beautiful mural painted by space artist Michael Carroll.

Over the years, the planetarium has benefited tremendously from the generosity of the McDonald family and its two foundations, the McDonald Foundation and the Armstrong-McDonald Foundation. In the last decade alone, the latter has granted nearly $300,000 to the planetarium for important improvements and upgrades. We consider ourselves fortunate indeed to have the McDonald family as our benefactors.

Additional and numerous thanks go out to all the staff, museum and foundation board members — past and present — who have made contributions of time and/or monetary donations to help keep the planetarium functioning at a high level. Large or small, those contributions have always been appreciated.

And thanks to you, the museum membership, for your support and interest over the past half-century. We hope to bring you many more years of starry skies in the J.M. McDonald Planetarium.

Schedule is subject to change.