Will Mt. Hood’s Planetarium be open 2023?

Martell Meacham

The Advocate

Prior to the pandemic there were quite a number of services and facilities available to students on campus. As the college has continued to reopen, so too have a number of these facilities, including the Aquatics Center and soon, the indoor rock wall.

Both of these are located in a far corner of the campus where a number of students have likely to yet step foot. However, there is a another facility on campus yet to reopen that almost every student currently taking in-person classes has walked right passed: the Planetarium.  

The Planetarium is located directly beneath the Library, and by extension the testing center and the tutoring center. Prior to the pandemic, the Planetarium had shows approximately twice a month from September to June, all of which were scheduled between 6 and 7:15 pm. The shows covered a wide variety of astronomy subjects that changed every month, with a very reasonable $5 admission fee, making it a fantastic resource for anyone – from those with a passing interest in astronomy, to serious astronomy buffs.

On top of this, the Planetarium was available to rent for school groups and is in a very opportune location for public/private schools in the Gresham/Troutdale area and beyond, making it a valuable resource for educators. 

The Planetarium was closed in March 2020 along with the rest of the MHCC campus, and has remained inactive for a variety of reasons the last few years. The inside is effectively a large theater; seats are lined up similarly to those in a movie theater, with everything projected onto the domed ceiling. This complicated social distancing setup, coupled with the maximum capacity of 70 people, made it difficult to justify opening the facility for shows.

Additionally, the Planetarium was largely operated by one person:  longtime Mt. Hood instructor Pat Hanrahan, who is weighing retirement.

Currently, the only update of note is that the Planetarium’s fate is to be discussed at some point in 2023 – and that Hanrahan is considering staying on as the Planetarium’s director, but in a more limited capacity.

Here’s hoping this valuable facility will reopen within the coming year, as it’s a fantastic resource for the wider Mt. Hood community.