UVa Rotunda’s Dome Room transforms into planetarium [Video]

One of Thomas Jefferson’s educational goals for the Rotunda at his University of Virginia was to prompt students to look up from their books long enough to gaze in wonder into the heavens.

On Friday evening, stargazers can gather in the Rotunda’s Dome Room to glimpse a centuries-old dream come to life using modern technology.

“Thomas Jefferson originally wanted a painted planetarium,” Andrea Seese, associate director of promotions and events for the Jefferson Trust, told The Daily Progress. “It would have been the first planetarium of its kind in the world.”

The Jefferson Trust awards grants every year to students, faculty and staff at UVa for projects across Grounds. The planetarium was one such project.

The Rotunda Planetarium, open to the public from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. Friday, will give visitors of all ages an opportunity to learn about constellations that can be viewed in the late November skies. “If …