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UWM Manfred Olson Planetarium's best events of 2024

 UP Christian Academy student taking in the April 8 eclipse from the UW-Milwaukee's Spaights Plaza.
Dr. Sherise Easley
UP Christian Academy students taking in the April 8 eclipse from the UW-Milwaukee's Spaights Plaza.

As we’re in the first month of 2025, it’s tempting to look ahead at what goals we want to work toward in the new year. But it’s also important to acknowledge what happened this past year and celebrate those moments too. For Lake Effect's astronomy contributor Jean Creighton, 2024 was one of the most exciting years for UW-Milwaukee’s Manfred Olson Planetarium in its nearly 60-year history.

From planning for over two years for the solar eclipse and welcoming 20,000 people on campus to student-led planetarium shows and hosting MPS third graders, the planetarium and its staff have a lot to celebrate.

Jean Creighton shares some of the most notable moments of 2024 for her and her team:

A child peers through a telescope from UWM's Spaights Plaza.
Manfred Olson Planeterium
/
UW-Milwaukee
A child peers through a telescope from UWM's Spaights Plaza.

1. Solar Eclipse

The solar eclipse on April 8, 2024, marked one of the largest events the planetarium has ever hosted, bringing over 4,000 community members, neighbors and school groups to UWM for a spectacle to remember.

“It just had a feeling of such camaraderie,” Creighton says. “The whole campus came together in a way that was really heartwarming.”

The planetarium spent two years preparing for the eclipse and distributed 10,000 pairs of safety glasses in the weeks preceding. As the supply of glasses began to run out on the day of the eclipse, however, the sharing of glasses only deepened a feeling of collective experience.

“One of the people afterward emailed and said she enjoyed the event better because she was sharing with others,” Creighton says.

There was a lot of excitement yesterday. Parts of the country experienced a spectacular solar eclipse, and although Milwaukee wasn’t a prime location, plenty of people reveled in the experience.

2. Student Outreach

In 2024, the planetarium also hosted presentations on astronomy for 10,000 K-12 students, including all of MPS’s third-grade students. With groups from over 200 schools visiting the planetarium this year, Creighton says the planetarium reached double the number of school groups they did in 2023.

“It’s always fun to think that you’re putting a little seed in some kid’s mind that maybe they could become an astronomer or a scientist, but even if they don’t, they can always enjoy the sky,” Creighton says. “So, I think it’s a real gift that we have, that we get to put that spark in people’s minds.”

3. Creepy Cosmos program

Manfred Olson Planetarium
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UW-Milwaukee
The planetarium's Creepy Cosmos program embarks on a spooktacular adventure through the creepiest parts of space.

In October, the planetarium also sold out five shows of its student-produced Creepy Cosmos program, a spooky presentation that explores the eerie mysteries of space. Creepy Cosmos will be returning in 2025, Creighton says.

4. Our Shared Sky series

The planetarium’s Our Shared Sky series brings speakers from nine different countries to share global perspectives on astronomy and culture. With a diverse lineup of speakers from Kenya to China, around 750 people attended Our Shared Sky events in 2024.

“That’s the kind of thing that makes you appreciate other places, how people do things, how they connect to the celestial,” Creighton says. “I think it’s fascinating, and it makes the world closer.”

Kenyan Astronomer Susan Murubana gave a presentation at UWM in April as part of the planetarium's Our Shared Sky series.
Manfred Olson Planeterium
/
UW-Milwaukee
Kenyan Astronomer Susan Murubana gave a presentation at UWM in April as part of the planetarium's Our Shared Sky series.

Looking Forward

The planetarium is hosting a free Open House this Saturday from 1:00 p.m to 3:00 p.m. to celebrate its 59th birthday. The event will be an opportunity to not only learn more about the planetarium’s programming for the upcoming semester but also a chance to see the winter sky from a comfortable spot indoors.

“It gets dark early, and the sky can be crystal clear with beautiful bright stars,” she says. “The nice thing about the planetarium is that it’s at room temperature.”

Creighton hopes the open house will encourage return visits to the planetarium. In a word, she says the past year has been "outstanding." In addition to the eclipse, Creighton has also enjoyed celebrating the UWM Planetarium's 100th anniversary. She looks forward to more anniversary festivities in 2025.

"The celebration of the 100th anniversary started in October with Mae Jemison's visit — the first African American woman in space — and it's going to wrap up with the Star Ball party, which we're having in March," Creighton says. "We're going to keep going with this wonderful momentum."

Dr. Jean Creighton has always been inspired by how the cosmos works. She was born in Toronto, Ontario and grew up in Athens, Greece where her mother claims she showed a great interest in how stars form from the age of five.
Audrey is a WUWM host and producer for Lake Effect.
Graham Thomas is a WUWM digital producer.
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