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Naval Hill Planetarium celebrates its first decade

09 November 2023 | Story Prof Matie Hoffman

A decade ago, the former Lamont-Hussey Observatory in Bloemfontein became Southern Africa’s first digital planetarium. Thanks to a collaboration between the University of the Free State (UFS), the Mangaung Metropolitan Municipality, the Department of Science and Innovation, and the Free State Province – as well as donations from trusts, foundations, and businesses – the project has grown and thrived.

Many different shapes, one place

The Naval Hill Planetarium was established in the old Lamont-Hussey Observatory. After the closure of the astronomical observatory, the buildings were refurbished and used by PACOFS as the Observatory Theatre. When the site became available again, it was envisioned to turn it into a planetarium. After many years of hard work, the newly refurbished buildings were opened in 2013 as the Naval Hill Planetarium – the first digital planetarium in Africa south of the Sahara.

The decade has seen many changes on the site of the former Lamont-Hussey Observatory, founded by the University of Michigan in 1927 to study double stars through the largest refracting telescope in the Southern Hemisphere. Improvements include the conversion of the old telescope building into a modern digital planetarium, the refurbishment of the structure of the old Lamont telescope and its installation as a display outside the old telescope dome, an observing platform, and a new hall for environmental education. The planetarium and the hall are now known as the Centre for Earth and Space, and developments are continuing.

Partners who have supported the project include the American Museum of Natural History (AMNH), the University of Michigan, Old Mutual, Sun International, the Hermann Ohlthaver Trust, ArcelorMittal, the Joan St Leger Lindbergh Charitable Trust, and the CB van Wyk Gesinstrust. In 2022, the Raubex Group and First Technology supported the University of the Free State to upgrade the planetarium’s projection system. Volunteers, including the Friends of the Boyden Observatory and the Naval Hill Planetarium, as well as the Friends of Franklin, have played an invaluable role in supporting and developing this community asset. The planetarium is managed by the Department of Physics at the University of the Free State.

A time to celebrate

During November and December 2023, the planetarium’s first decade will be celebrated with events and special shows, including the South African premier of the AMNH full-dome film, Worlds Beyond Earth. The board of the Southern African Large Telescope (SALT) – the largest single optical telescope in the Southern Hemisphere – will attend the premiere. Many international partners are involved in SALT, and AMNH is one of the shareholders in the SALT Foundation. As part of the partnership between the AMNH and SALT, AMNH provides sponsorship for education and outreach efforts in South Africa. The Naval Hill Planetarium benefits from this initiative and receives content for the planetarium in the form of AMNH full-dome films.

In addition to regular school shows, there will be two public shows every Saturday in November and December – one show in English and one in Afrikaans. In December, there will be additional shows for children. Bookings for shows should be done through Computicket, click here to book. The planetarium can accommodate group bookings and functions (enquiries at +2 51 401 9751 or ficky@ufs.ac.za).

News Archive

UFS keeps the power on

2015-06-24

At a recent Emergency Power Indaba held on the Bloemfontein Campus, support structures at the university met to discuss the Business Continuity Intervention Plan to manage load shedding on the three campuses of the UFS.

Currently, 35 generators serving 55 of the buildings have already been installed as a back-up power supply on the three campuses of the university. According to Anton Calitz, Electrical Engineer at the UFS, the running cost to produce a kWh of electricity with a diesel generator amounts to approximately three times the cost at which the UFS buys electricity from Centlec.

Planned additional generators will attract in excess of R4 million in operating costs per year. For 2015, the UFS senior leadership approved R11 million, spread over the three campuses. Remaining requirements will be spread out over the next three years. University Estates is also looking at renewable energy sources.

On the Bloemfontein Campus, 26 generators serving forty-one buildings are in operation. On South Campus, two generators were installed at the new Education Building and at the ICT Server Room. Lecture halls, the Arena, the Administration Building, and the library will be added later in 2015. Eight generators serving 12 buildings are in operation on the Qwaqwa Campus. In 2015, the Humanities Building, Lecture Halls and the heat pump room will also be equipped with generators.

Most buildings will be supplied only with partial emergency power. In rare cases, entire buildings will be supplied because the cost of connecting is lower than re-wiring for partial demand. According to Nico Janse van Rensburg, Senior Director at University Estates, emergency power will be limited to lighting and power points only. No allowances will be made for air-conditioning.

“Most area lighting will also be connected to emergency power,” he said.

Where spare capacity is available on existing emergency power generators, requests received for additional connections will be added, where possible, within the guidelines. The following spaces will receive preference:
- Lecture halls with the lights, data projectors, and computers running
- Laboratories for practical academic work and sensitive research projects
- Academic research equipment that is sensitive to interruptions
- Buildings hosting regular events

According to Janse van Rensburg, all further needs will be investigated. Staff can forward all emergency power supply needs to Anton Calitz at calitzja@ufs.ac.za

Staff and students can also manage load shedding in the following ways:

1. Carry a small torch with you at all times, in case you are on a stairwell or other dark area when the lights go out. You can also use the flashlight app on your phone. Download it before any load shedding occurs. This can come in handy if the lights go out suddenly, and you cannot find a flashlight. Load-shedding after dark imposes even more pressure on our Campus Security staff. We can assist them with our vigilance and preparedness by carrying portable lights with us at all times and by assisting colleagues.
2. Candles pose a serious safety risk. Rather use battery- or solar-powered lights during load shedding.
3. Ensure that your vehicle always has fuel in the tank, because petrol stations cannot pump fuel during power outages.
4. Ensure that you have enough cash, because ATMs cannot operate without electricity.
5. The UFS Sasol Library has study venues available which students can use during load shedding.
6. When arranging events which are highly dependent on power supply, especially at night, organisers should consult the load-shedding schedule before determining dates and preferably also make back-up arrangements. If generators are a necessity, the financial impact should be taken into consideration.

The senior leadership also approved a list of buildings to be equipped with emergency power supplies.

More about load shedding at the UFS:
Getting out of the dark
More information, guidelines and contact information

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