Sora’s Desert Planetarium

You've arrived at the Desert Planetarium. Far away from the city. We can simply enjoy the stars. Sora is in the observatory, tending to the telescope. Every night offers something different in the cosmos. Maybe tonight you'll catch a falling star. Anything is possible at the planetarium. First, let's get cozy with a little wind down exercise. Tonight's exercise is a really simple breathing exercise. So when you are ready, let's begin. So first, get yourself comfortable. Now just bringing the attention to the breath, just noticing where you feel it in the nose, the throat, the chest, the diaphragm, you're nice and relaxed. We are going to be taking a deep breath in for four, holding it for four, and then breathing out for six. So are you ready? Let's begin, in for four, 2, 3, 4. Hold it for four, 2, 3, 4. Now breathing out for six, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6. In for four, 2, 3, 4. Holding for four, 2, 3, 4. Out for six, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6. In for four, 2, 3, 4. Holding for four, 2, 3, 4. Out for six, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6. In for four, 2, 3, 4. Holding for four, 2, 3, 4. Out for six, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6. Great. Now returning the breath to normal. A few feet away from the planetarium is a simple cylinder, smooth metal with a domed roof. It's a humble building, easy to miss, but in some ways, it's the most important part of the planetarium. Mr. Singh and his daughter Mina drive out of the city every month just to visit this building. Within it stands a 24-inch telescope, a direct line to the sky. First designed in the 1600s, telescopes have become highly precise instruments, revealing the universe to us beyond our wildest imagination. Mina always likes to check in with the moon, finding the Copernicus Crater or the Sea of Vapors. The telescope sits at 35 degrees, with a mechanical motor that moves the telescope opposite the Earth's rotation. This allows visitors to gaze upon stars without them moving through the frame, looking up at the sky as a form of time travel, as all the light we see is traveling across the galaxy just to reach us. When Mr. Singh peers through the telescope, he catches Vega, the fifth brightest star in the sky. Its silver-blue shimmy is 25 light years away, but with the help of the telescope, it feels like a breath away. A little stop in Orion's Gift Shop is a must for any visitor. For the aspiring scientist, there are space dust kits and fragments of moon rock ready to be studied under a microscope. Inflatable solar systems, perfect for a lightweight planetary display. If spacecrafts call your attention, you can build a model rocket ship or find a large-scale puzzle of a satellite. Ursa runs the shop, taking great care to keep the shelves neat and displays in order....