The Versant Power Astronomy Center at the University of Maine is home to the Jordan Planetarium, a 10 meter dome with 52 seats housing a Sky-Skan/SSIA digital 4K dome, with ChromaCove cove lighting and digital 5.1 audio. This facility opened in October of 2014 and was a replacement for the original Jordan Planetarium which was in operation in Wingate Hall from 1954 to 2013.
Today, the facility includes a multi-purpose room, a 20” PlaneWave research observatory, and the 8” historic Alvin Clark refractor observatory. The planetarium offers regular public programs on Friday evenings and Sunday afternoons year-round along with numerous special programs. Additionally, it servers k-12 schools and is the site of UMaine’s astronomy labs during the academic year.
COVID Protocols: Per University of Maine policy all visitors must wear a mask covering the nose and mouth while inside buildings on campus. Additionally MAPS will be utilizing CrowdPass for vaccine verification or for providing a negative COVID test 24 hours prior to the conference.
Conference attire: During mid-May, Orono Maine typically sees daytime temperatures (F) in the mid-60s (up to 70) during the day, dropping down to the low-50s in the evening. Meeting spaces will be climate-controlled. Conference attire is generally workday or casual. Many choose semi-formal / coat-and-tie dress for the banquet on Friday night.
Directions to the Versant Power Astronomy Center:
https://astro.umaine.edu/about/contactdirections/
Versant Power Astronomy Center
University of Maine
167 Rangeley Road
Orono, ME 04401
Phone: (207) 581-1341