Things I Learned at the Planetarium Today

Originally published November 24, 2024

Today I got to take a very dear friend of mine to the local interactive kids museum to watch a show at the planetarium. He loves space, and I love doing things that are new and fun. We got there with about an hour and a half before the planetarium show, so we took advantage and learned some things about space, hockey and gross stuff about the human body!

The Human Body

There was an appropriately named exhibit called “Grossology,” which was all about farts, snots, and every other gross thing the human body does. Did you know that fresh pee is cleaner than the skin on your face??? It’s because healthy urine doesn’t have any bacteria in it! Also, the “vomit center” is in your brain- the feeling of nausea starts in your mind. Another fun fact, the millions of hairs in your nose are called cilia. We played giant Operation, attempted to scale a child-sized rock climbing wall that was covered in pimples, blisters, and bruises, and we talked to a massive animatronic faucethead with snot coming out of it!!

Hockey

If you didn’t know, I’m from Florida, and the Tampa Bay Lightning sponsors a mini exhibit in the aquarium where we learned how they paint the ice and we tested our reflexes- I can report that our reflexes are both subpar in comparisons to NHL goalies. The coolest thing I learned was that the players are cutting through the ice so quickly that they’re kind of floating when they skate!

Space

Space. The main reason for our little excursion today. I learned a lot about the solar system and the planets, both in the planetarium show and at the exhibit outside it. For one thing, we got to fly to Jupiter in a space flight simulator. Did you know Jupiter has more than 65 moons, but the four big ones are called the Galilean moons, because Galileo discovered them. The biggest one is called Ganymede and it’s almost as big as Mercury! The planetarium show taught us a lot, my favorite part was when it took us through our solar system to each planet. They’re all so beautiful in their own way, and they all have such interesting surfaces and atmospheres compared to Earth. It made me really appreciate that our planet is made perfectly and especially for us. I love the blue colors of Neptune and Uranus. I didn’t know that Saturn’s rings are remnants of broken down moons. Jupiter is such an interesting gas giant. Also, fun fact about the moon: Neil Armstrong’s boot print is permanently on the moon, and his boot is still there!!

Overall, we had a great time learning about all different things we would have never known before. Learning more in the planetarium was definitely my favorite part of the day. I have a newfound appreciation for the solar system and everything inside it, and it reenforced my love for our planet and how it’s designed perfectly just for us and the plants and animals that belong on it too. I loved the planetarium, and I had a great day.

With love, Willianny