Chris Chandler, director of Hardin Planetarium, said he has a passion for connecting with people. He is in charge of running the planetarium’s day-to-day operations.
He said he connects with people through live, interactive shows that make science feel more like storytelling.
Chandler said that the planetarium offers light shows throughout the year. One of these includes “The Dark Side of the Moon: 50 Years in a Heartbeat.” It offers interactive programs where visitors can ask questions and be involved with the shows
This show was created for Pink Floyd’s album, “The Dark Side of the Moon,” according to the planetarium’s website. It was made for planetariums in 1973.
According to the planetarium’s website, when the show first launched in 2023, it sold out for almost every showing. Throughout the show, themes of the album are conveyed.
“We create our own shows here and that’s one of the things that makes us different from other planetariums,” Chandler said.
Most planetariums operate like movie theatres, Chandler said, where someone just hits the play button.
“That’s not how we operate,” Chandler said. “I present the shows live.”
Melissa Valdez is a freshman majoring in graphic design. She said the first came to the planetarium during M.A.S.T.E.R. Plan, where there was an event hosted for freshmen.
“I’ve been to other planetarium shows before, but I like how he talks to people,” Valdez said. “It makes it way more personal.”
Valdez said she felt more connected at the show because Chandler had her participate. She said she picked out a star presented on the dome for him to teach the audience about.
Chandler said his way of connecting with guests is performing the shows live. He will stand in the middle of the dome and present. He said he can shift his voice between a bubbly storyteller and serious tones for a better understanding of certain topics.
“Most times you go to a planetarium and you talk to staff, most of them have a background in education or astronomy,” Chandler said. “My background is history and social studies.”
Chandler said the ability he has to think quickly about social interactions helps him the most with his job.
“When somebody asks a question, I can get to it pretty quick,” Chandler said.
Freshman Tiana Fornash said that she enjoys the liveliness of the shows.
“I like when he walks around the room because he gets captivated with the audience,” Fornash said. “He’s very into his job.”
The planetarium hosts shows every Tuesday, Thursday and Sunday, according to the planetarium’s website.
“We see a lot of familiar faces at our shows,” Chandler said. “It tells us that people aren’t just visiting once and forgetting about it; they come back because it means something to them.”
Chandler said he is the only one who works directly for the planetarium. However, he offers the opportunity for students to volunteer.
He said the Hardin Planetarium was one of the 11 best planetariums in the world in the mid-60s. However, he said it’s hard to keep that title because of money.
Chandler said that bigger universities have more funding, therefore can stay “cutting edge” by affording new projection systems. He said his project right now is fundraising to keep up with them.
“The funds we’re trying to raise will allow us to replace our entire projection system,” Chandler said. “If we keep doing this stuff every 20 to 30 years, we will always be cutting edge.”
Chandler said that the importance of keeping the planetarium running is a big part of his goal for the sake of students.
“It would break my heart if somebody said they’d like to learn but can’t afford it,” Chandler said.
Chandler said that the most rewarding thing the planetarium has given him is working with young students. The exhibits around the planetarium are not only done by him, but also by school children who visit.
He said that there are drawings of solar systems and aliens around the planetarium. Chandler’s office is also covered with thank-you cards and notes from kids.
“That cute little solar system and the alien in there were drawn by Fern, who is five,” Chandler said.
He said that Fern visits every month and a half.
“Seeing the effect of actually listening to a child and answering their questions is like no other because you can see them processing information,” Chandler said.
As long as children keep asking questions about black holes, comets, and life on other planets, Chandler said he knows he’ll never run out of reasons to keep looking up.
