“I always tell people it’s like a cinema, but the sky is the screen of a film,” says the astronomer and director of astronomy.
A fun, family outing from this world is heading towards Barry.
Astronomy in Action is scheduled to begin its 2025 planetarium tour later this month. This includes a stop at Barry on June 21st with a huge inflatable dome and a stop at Collier Street United Church, offering participants an immersive 4K planetarium experience.
“It’s always a dream, I talk about and share spaces with others, and that’s what the slogans have always been.
Marciniak and his team have been traveling to schools with Dome and providing education at the Ontario Science Centre for the past decade, and have started public programming last year.
“We just want to see as many people as possible and share the wonders of the universe with them. That’s the dream,” he said.
“I always tell people it’s like a cinema, but the whole sky is the film screen,” added Marciniak. “It’s not like a traditional movie you just sit there watching. It fills the entire sky. It fills the entire vision around you and makes you feel like you’re immersed in any experience you’re doing.”
While in Barry, Astronomy in Action offers families the opportunity to purchase tickets for one of three shows.
Recommended for children aged 5 and over, the Wanderer’s Show is a 40-minute visual journey through a solar system, allowing you to explore the latest discoveries from telescopes and spacecraft that shape your understanding of the planet.
Running for 50 minutes and recommended for 5 or more children, the Great Cosmic Journey Show helps bring guests closer to the Cosmos wonders. They travel far from Earth, surf the rings of Saturn, see new stars burning into existence, and explore the most incredible structures of the universe as we transcend time and space.
What is in their sky? The show is recommended for children up to the age of 4. The 25-minute show is described as a fun and welcoming show where children and their families can explore the sky above. From rainbows to rockets, children and parents explore many things that can be found in the sky day and night.
“Most of the time, we travel to other planets and explore deep spaces. We do things humans can’t do without the many skills and money that support us as astronauts,” Marciniak said. “We are giving you this experience of enjoying the wonders of the universe and how it actually looks in space.”
Presentations are often led by live presenters.
“There’s a real opportunity to interact,” he added.
During the Cosmic Journey Show, guests can express their curiosity (and there is plenty of freedom that people feel like they have some ownership over the program. ”
Marciniak told Barrietoday that the team always tried to show families what they could search for that night or the next few weeks.
“We really want to encourage families to go out and explore the space together,” he says, calling the experience half-entertainment.
“We want people to entertain and enjoy the stunning experience. We want people to be reunited with the universe. We want them to bring out two or three really cool facts they didn’t know before and things that they can look for that night – that’s a mission achieved for us,” Marciniak said.
