STAR SEARCH PLANETARIUMS HELP FILL GRIFFITH VOID FOR SOLAR SYSTEM GROUPIES.

Byline: Lisa M. Sodders Staff Writer

NORTHRIDGE - When the lights dim and darkness falls inside the Donald E. Bianchi Planetarium at Cal State Northridge, more than five thousand tiny stars appear on the overhead dome.

The moment draws soft sighs of delight from dozens of guests who lean back, stare into space and leave their earthly troubles behind.

``People like to get their minds off of the troubles we have here (on Earth) and think bigger,'' said Ivan Dryer, chief executive officer of the Van Nuys-based Laser Images Inc. Laserium show, which operates out of the planetarium. ``It's an opportunity to stretch their minds. The cosmos has a great lure, and it should.''

Griffith Observatory may be closed for renovations until early in 2006, but for the star-struck, Los Angeles has planetariums aplenty, and visitors of all ages are flocking to them. Planetariums from Northridge to Los Angeles Valley College to Palmdale have reported a steady rise in visitors since Griffith closed.

Faithful Griffith fans Pat and Richard Falcioni of Sylmar now take their stargazing cravings to the CSUN planetarium.

``You feel connected with people,'' Richard Falcioni, 51, said. ``You're not the only ones who are interested in the universe. It really pulls you into space, even though you're basically under a big hood.''

CSUN started offering public shows just last year, said Planetariums Program coordinator Jan Dobias. But this year, thanks to increasing numbers of visitors, the shows have been increased from twice a month to every Friday night, with a star show followed by a lecture.

Luke Yanes, 7, could hardly contain his excitement when he came to see the stars with his friends.

His favorite part was when Dobias caused the stars to rotate as they would in the sky, and then tilted their position to show the difference between the view at the North Pole and the view in Los Angeles.

``It felt like we were moving,'' said a wide-eyed Luke. ``It was kind of freaking me out.''

James Tabolsky, 7, who checks out library books on the planets whenever he can, and his sister, Brooke, 6, said they liked learning about planets, nebulae and that ``shooting stars'' are really meteors.

Such information was a letdown for Mom, though.

``That took the romance out of it,'' remarked their mother, Kim Tabolsky, 42, of Woodland Hills, when she learned she'd been wishing on a shooting meteor, not a star, all these years.

The Laserium laser show, formerly at Griffith, has been at CSUN since October, offering shows on Friday and Saturday evenings, said Dryer.

``It's been a little difficult to lure people out into the Valley (from the L.A. basin), but the shows look extremely good,'' said Dryer, who plans to set up a new facility in Hollywood when Griffith reopens. ``(CSUN has) a smaller dome, more intimate, and the laser is a whole lot brighter.''

Griffith Observatory is scheduled to reopen in early 2006, said observatory director E.C. Krupp. Because solar system fanatics are awaiting its reopening with fierce anticipation, Krupp predicted the observatory would need extensive crowd control when it reopens its doors. ``There's no substitute for returning to that hill.''

In the meantime, a small satellite location, in the northeast part of the park, has been offering weekend planetarium shows from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. on Friday, 1 p.m. to 9 p.m. on Saturday and 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. on Sunday.

Krupp said the public's growing interest in the cosmos is not surprising, given such widely publicized news events as the successful rover missions on Mars. Interest in Mars started last summer, when the red planet came within 34.6 million miles of Earth, the closest distance in about 60,000 years.

At the Los Angeles Valley College planetarium, which has also seen strong crowds, anything about Mars is an instant sellout, according to David Falk, planetarium director. Falk said the planetarium regularly draws 35 to 50 people for its monthly shows.

LAVC recently won a $300,000 grant from NASA that will enable it to purchase a new digital projection system, Falk said. Further renovation and expansion of the planetarium is planned under the college's share of the $2 billion Proposition A and AA bond issues voters passed in 2001 and 2003.

In the Antelope Valley, Palmdale School District's SAGE Planetarium has shows for the public at least twice a month, and also hosts the local astronomy club meetings at 7 p.m. on the second Friday of the month, which feature a guest speaker. Jeremy Amarant, planetarium director, said while the numbers of local visitors has stayed consistent, he has seen an increase in out-of-town visitors and groups since Griffith closed.

``It really puts you in your place,'' Amarant said, of the appeal of planetarium shows. ``If you think about it, the only place that can support people is the Earth. The Earth becomes a very special place. It's not really that big compared to the rest of the universe and that makes it a place you're happy to be.''

Lisa M. Sodders, [phone]

lisa.sodders(at)dailynews.com

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SOURCE: Santa Monica College