WCSU Planetarium & Observatory
Danbury, CT
SYNOPSIS: This is definitely one of those places that so may people say “I never knew that was there.” Just about five minutes outside of Putnam, Western Connecticut State University has a planetarium and observatory on their westside campus. They run free shows open to the public. This is a great show for kids. Not infants, but kids that have a 45 to 60 minute attention span.
APPROXIMATE TIME: Allow 2 to 2-1/2 hours. The show we attended was just about an hour, maybe a tad over. It’s smart to arrive early, since the room only seats 40 people, and its a first-come, first-served event.
DIFFICULTLY: Easy, unless you are afraid of the dark, or have a cervical spine issue that prevents you from tilting your head back. (I’m not kidding about this. My wife has a herniated disk at her C5/6 and found the show interesting, but a bit rough on her neck).
DIRECTIONS: To get there from Putnam County, take Route 84 East into Connecticut. Get off at exit 2. At the bottom of the ramp, turn left onto Milestone Road, then make a right onto Mill Plain Road. Go about 1.9 miles on Mill Plain Road and turn left onto University Blvd, which is the entrance to the westside campus. Look for the brick university signs. Go about .7 miles and there will be angled parking spots along the right side of the street. This is where we parked. From these parking spots, the planetarium across the street, in the woods at the top of the hill. (But you can’t see it when the leaves are on the trees.) To get to the planetarium from here, walk a bit further along University Blvd and make a left to head downhill toward the Pinney Hall dorms. Across the street from the dorms, is a paved path that winds up the hill. The planetarium is at the top of the hill. The path is not very well lit, so you might want to bring a flashlight.
You can use the following GPS coordinates to get to where we parked: 41.393834, -73.493310
THE VISIT: At the show we attended, it was obvious that the Professor loves what he does. Shows are typically on Saturday evenings. Check their website because they do not schedule shows year-round. As of this writing (March 2016) they just started up again after a winter hiatus. Planetarium shows are appropriate for adults and older children, but generally not for infants or toddlers.
Public Nights may be cancelled due to severe weather or hazardous road conditions; for updates, call 837 – 8672 on the day of an event. Sky viewing cannot be held during cloudy or precipitating weather, but planetarium shows are usually held as scheduled.
MAP & ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: For programs, scheduling and shows, visit the STAR WATCH page on WCSU’s website at http://www.wcsu.edu/starwatch/