| Astronaut Memorial Planetarium and Observatory | |
|---|---|
| Organization | Brevard Community College |
| Code | 758 |
| Location | Brevard County, Florida, United States |
| Website www.brevardcc.edu/planet/ |
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The Astronaut Memorial Planetarium and Observatory, or AMPO, also known as the Brevard Community College Planetarium and Observatory, is an astronomical observatory and planetarium at Brevard Community College in Cocoa, Florida. The facility consists of a planetarium, public observatory, large-screen movie theater, exhibit halls, classroom (used by Brevard Community College) and an art gallery.
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The 210-seat planetarium theater is a 70-foot overhead hemisphere onto which images from a variety of projectors are shone, to simulate the night sky and to provide multimedia educational and entertainment programs to area schools and to the public. On the rooftop public observatory, visitors can view planets, stars, galaxies and other objects directly through a 24-inch-diameter (610 mm) Ritchie-Chretien reflector telescope operated by observatory staff and members of the Brevard Astronomical Society.
The observatory is also home to The Discovery Theater, Science Quest Exhibit Hall, and the International Hall of Space Explorers. The Discovery Theater uses a 70 mm Iwerks movie projector to shown are science and nature films. It also has an art gallery which images of space are shown, such as Messier 101.[1]