O. Wayne Rollins Planetarium
Beyond the reaches of the tallest mountains of Towns County, Georgia there is something all of us earthlings are mystified about…space, and all its wonders. Visitors to the O. Wayne Rollins Planetarium at Young Harris College can get a lot closer to that mystery without scaling the highest mountain.
Inside the planetarium guest capacity is 109 seats under a 40-foot-diameter dome. Guest to the planetarium will witness the technical wonders of a state-of-the-art device that uses light guided technology to project a realistic starry sky with high-speed computer-calculated positioning.
In summary the planetarium features a GOTO Chronos Space Simulator star projector. A Sky-Skan Definiti full dome digital projection system was added in 2008. The system creates an immersive and engaging image over the entire dome surface and a powerful “you-are-there” experience for the audience.
Each year 30 Friday evening shows are available to the public beginning at 8:00 p.m. from August to April, and 8:30 p.m. from May to July.
After the presentation at the planetarium ends and the night skies are clear, the Young Harris College Observatory will also be open to visitors. The observatory is located 1.5-miles from the campus featuring a Schmidt-Cassegrain telescope. The setting for this observatory is located at 2,000-feet above sea level along the flanks of Brasstown Bald, the highest summit in all Georgia. A map to the observatory is available at the planetarium.
Adult admission is $3.00, children $2.00.