East Stroudsburg University Installs State-of-the-Art Digistar 7 Projection System in McMunn Planetarium

Dr. David Buckley at the ESU McMunn Planetarium doing a presentation

Posted by: Elizabeth Richardson on March 2, 2023, No Comments

East Stroudsburg University is pleased to announce the installation of a new Digistar 7 Fulldome Planetarium System in McMunn Planetarium. The purchase of the new equipment was made possible by a $205,700 grant from the R. Dale and Frances M. Hughes Foundation, based in Stroudsburg, Pa. The Digistar 7 projection system will be used to improve performance in academic courses in addition to supporting K-12 group visits, community programming, and institutional recruitment.

The Digistar 7 replaces the planetarium’s original non-HD resolutions system that was installed when the planetarium opened in 2008.

“The new projector provides our students with an immersive experience of not only the sky as seen from Earth, but lets them visualize the solar system, galaxy and universe from different locations within,” said David Buckley, Ph.D., professor of physics. “It’s a game changer in terms of the quality of astronomy education we can provide at ESU.”

Securing the funding for the new equipment was made in collaboration with the ESU Foundation. The R. Dale and Frances M. Hughes Foundation has been a longtime supporter of the ESU Foundation, whose awarded grants have greatly impacted ESU and its students.

“We are very grateful for the R. Dale and Frances M. Hughes Foundation’s generous support throughout the years,” said Rich Santoro, ESU Foundation executive director. “Their commitment to ESU and the surrounding community is truly an inspiration.”

The McMunn Planetarium is housed in ESU’s Warren E. ’55 and Sandra Hoeffner Science and Technology Center, and is named in honor of ESU supporters Charles A. “Tony” ’69 and Patricia Lythgoe ’68 McMunn. The Schisler Museum of Wildlife & Natural History, made possible by the generosity of Arthur R. ’62 and Fannie A. (Greene) ’62 Schisler, is located in the same space. Entry to both the museum and planetarium are included in one ticket.

“ESU’s Schisler Museum and McMunn Planetarium have always been a hidden treasure right here in the Pocono Mountains region,” said Catherine Klingler, museum and planetarium events manager. “We can’t wait for schools, groups, and the community to come in and experience this amazing new technology with us.”

Each year, over 9,000 students, K-12 school groups, tourists, community, and the general public have attended the planetarium’s full-dome video presentations on topics like the solar system, stars, galaxies and black holes.

The museum and planetarium are open to the general public on Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. The facilities are open to groups Tuesday-Saturday from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. Customized tours are available for all ages.

For additional information about the museum and planetarium, please visit esu.edu/museum. To book a group visit, contact 570-422-2705 or by email at smcurator@esu.edu.