I got an email this morning that the Ghana Planetarium Science Centre is in need of help.
The Planetarium of Accra was officially opened on January 22, 2009. It is the only fixed digital planetarium for the public in West Africa.
But sadly, the institution which appears to have been running on private funds is in the need of help to save it from closure.
About The Planetarium
The Planetarium provides extra-curricular support to the teaching of topics in Maths and Science and helps raise awareness of environmental issues. It has a full-dome planetarium show with some hands-on demonstrations and activities that bring science to life, mainly using everyday materials and waste materials.
It has a summer hut which has a number of large astronomy-themed posters, which show the relative sizes of the sun and planets, different kinds of space rocks, planetary rings, an infographic depicting the solar system and space exploration, information about the Milky Way and other galaxies, and a huge, richly-detailed poster about the electromagnetic spectrum.
Other activities at the Planetarium Science Centre include workshops for teachers, outreach visits to schools, astronomy-themed art and craft activities at family events, lectures and discussions at Astronomical Society meetings, dome-casts with other planetariums abroad, and most recently a Robotics club for children.
Fundraising/Crowdfunding
The planetarium is currently raising funds to pay for rent space and salaries of their staff as well as new equipment for the planetarium. The funds will also go to fixing the roof of the summer hut which houses some of the planetarium equipment.
If you’re in Ghana and would like to contribute, you can make a donation to the Planetarium Science Centre Ghana is at Standard Chartered Bank, Osu Branch, Accra, account number 0150435216500.
Donations can be made Barclays UK pound sterling Community Account: ‘Ghana Planetarium Science Centre Ltd’, account number 63911039, sort code 20-05-57.
You can also check out their Indiegogo page where they are also raising funds.
Recent Science/Space Activities
Ghana has been making strides in science and space relatated activities. Ghana is preparing to build Africa’s first space pad and the Ghanasat1 satellite was recently launched in Florida.
It would be a same to see this establishment close down. If you’re interested in helping to raise funds, you can go to the Indiegogo page and make a donation and share the link with your network. Thanks!
