Planetarium director puts stars in the spotlight.

Byline: Scott Maben The Register-Guard

Susan Peterson has spent 20 years reaching for the stars, and she's not done yet.

Peterson has taken over as planetarium director at the nonprofit Science Factory Children's Museum and Planetarium, located on the edge of Alton Baker Park near Autzen Stadium in Eugene.

Less than two months into the full-time job, she has launched a new weekend show using images of the universe from the Hubble Space Telescope.

"We have a plethora of wonderful images from the Hubble Telescope," Peterson said. "We also have some fantastic computer simulations to show what happens when galaxies collide. We can fly you through the Orion nebula and show what it looks like up close and personal."

She also helped create a special presentation on the origins of Halloween for next weekend (Friday night and Sunday afternoon) that will reveal the astronomical origins of the holiday.

"It has to do with a cluster of stars well known to most people," Peterson said.

Blending astronomy with music, theater and storytelling is one of her talents, honed during similar stints in Texas, Wyoming and Missouri. Thanks to that background, she's brimming with ideas to punch up the local star shows and lure a broader audience to the 100-seat planetarium, a round room with a domed ceiling that mimics the view of the night sky.

"I think Eugene has only had a taste of what we can do," Peterson said. "It's just a case of, 'Watch what happens next.' We're definitely on a roll."

Peterson stepped into her new job Sept. 8, arriving from the large Mayborn Planetarium in Killeen, Texas. She was there just over a year but left, she said, because the administration "didn't want to do creative things."

And she does. "That's why I'm here," she said.

Peterson, 55, plans to draw on her experiences directing the Casper Planetarium in Casper, Wyo., for 10 years and the Kansas City Museum Planetarium in Kansas City, Mo.

In Casper, she collaborated with local theater groups to stage an original production of Ray Bradbury's 1950 science fiction novel "The Martian Chronicles." In Kansas City, she brought together a Celtic harper and an expert in Celtic mythology and skylore for a show built around the night sky seen in each of the four seasons.

Peterson, who lives outside Brownsville with four dogs, four cats and a horse, said she's eager to try similar musical and theatrical productions at the Eugene planetarium, and maybe even bring in astronomy experts from throughout the country, including NASA scientists, for lectures.

"There's lots and lots of ideas on the table," she said.

Interest in the cosmos rises and falls with particular space missions, close encounters with comets and major discoveries. But the subject never strays far from the public's imagination, said Peterson, who has written more than 80 published articles about astronomy.

"People have always been interested in the big cosmic questions of what's out there and where did we come from, which astronomy can help answer," she said. "Anytime you look up in the night sky from any place dark and away from city lights, it's awe-inspiring."

The planetarium programs are part of an effort to expand what the Science Factory has to offer the community, Peterson said. "What it needs to do is grow a bit so we can engage and excite and inspire in more ways."

The planetarium and Science Factory are regaining momentum after a tumultuous few years.

In 2001, the Willamette Science and Technology Center, as it was called then, emerged from a yearlong battle with the University of Oregon over a football parking concession on a nearby city-owned lot.

WISTEC changed its name to The Science Factory in 2002 and became a nonprofit, tax-deductible, member-supported institution. At the same time, the center gained ownership of the building it has occupied since 1977.

The Lane Education Service District closed the planetarium in December 2002, a month after voters rejected a $10 million bond measure to build a science learning center - a new home for the planetarium - at the Lane County Fairgrounds.

The school funding crisis kept the planetarium closed for six months, until The Science Factory acquired the facility from Lane ESD and reopened the planetarium for weekend shows in June 2003.

In the past two years, The Science Factory has doubled its membership base and attendance and has reached financial solvency. It's now working on plans to expand into an indoor-outdoor science park where kids can learn about plants and ponds in outdoor classes.

LOOK TO THE STARS

Here's what's happening. Except for the eclipse watch on College Hill, events are at the planetarium at The Science Factory Children's Museum, 2300 Leo Harris Parkway:

Lunar eclipse: Wednesday, 6:30 p.m. to 10 p.m., on College Hill reservoir in south Eugene. This event is in collaboration with the Eugene Astronomical Society to observe the last viewable total lunar eclipse until 2008. Donations requested: $2 per person or $5 per family.

Origins of Halloween: New Halloween-themed planetarium show debuts during Halloween Extravaganza Friday, 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. Show repeats Sunday at 2 p.m. Friday's extravaganza features pumpkin catapults, pumpkin bowling, costume contest, rocket ghosts and more. Admission: $4 per person or $10 per family.

Hubble's Universe: Saturdays and Sundays, 2 p.m. Live, interactive show continually updated with new photos from the Hubble Space Telescope.

Up in the Sky: Saturdays, 1 p.m. Special show for younger guests (8 and younger) on the sun, moon, planets and stars.

Closed for football: The Science Factory and Planetarium will be closed Saturday and Nov. 13 for home Duck football games.

Cost: $4 for planetarium only, $7 for planetarium and exhibit hall. Free for ages 3 and younger and for Science Factory members.

Information: Call 682-7888, or log on to www.sciencefactory.org.

CAPTION(S):

Boldfaceand this is light text and this is more light text Susan Peterson specializes in blending astronomy with music, theater and storytelling. She hopes to attract a broader audience to the planetarium at The Science Factory Children's Museum. Kevin Clark / The Register-Guard Kevin Clark / The Register-Guard Susan Peterson says the Eugene planetarium is "on a roll."