Planetarium Learning Center
In 2022, after celebrating 25 years in its current location, the Spartanburg County Public Libraries announced that the Headquarters Library would be home to a new planetarium learning center. The planetarium learning center, located at the corner of Broad and Church Street, houses a 50-foot domed planetarium theatre with 135 seats and additional spaces for the Kitty Black Perkins Maker Lab and other learning activities and programs. Dedicated to lifelong learning, the planetarium learning center offers educational experiences to children, teens, and adults.
The planetarium learning center brings pedestrian traffic to the city’s historic downtown and builds countywide partnerships with schools, universities, and businesses. We also connect with national partners including NASA and the National Science Foundation. This is a donor supported project with funding from both private and public funds. More information is forthcoming as we build out programs and offerings to the public. Continue to visit our website for updates and to register for shows, classes and programs.
The Planetarium’s Foucault Pendulum
By Andy Flynt, Director of the Planetarium
One of the biggest draws in The Planetarium will be our new Foucault Pendulum. This device, invented in 1851 by French physicist Leon Foucault, demonstrates that the Earth does
indeed revolve around an axis.
The pendulum is suspended from the ceiling of a building to almost the floor of a building via a long cable. This point on the ceiling represents a fixed point about 35 feet
above a fixed point on the floor. The pendulum ball, or bob, hangs from the cable and slowly swings back and forth in an ever-so-slight curved line in a circle. The pendulum
rotates around the circle for a set number of hours depending on where you are on Earth. The closer to the equator the pendulum is, the longer it takes the bob to complete
a circle.
The Foucault Pendulum inside the Paris Pantheon
Our new Foucault Pendulum, sitting at 34 degrees 56 minutes north latitude, will take almost 42 hours to complete a full circle. In contrast, one in Houston, Texas, further
south of us at 30 degrees north latitude, takes almost 47 hours to complete a full circle. At the North Pole, at 90 degrees north latitude, the Foucault Pendulum moves MUCH
faster and actually completes a circle in almost exactly 24 hours!
By hanging at a fixed point above the floor (planet Earth), the pendulum demonstrates that the Earth is round and rotates around an axis defined by the North and South Poles.
Our pendulum will live in the lobby of The Planetarium, that is viewable from inside and outside the building. Hanging from the ceiling, it will slowly swing back and forth,
edging around the circle over a day and a half to its original starting point. We hope you’ll enjoy The Planetarium’s new Foucault Pendulum!
Planetarium & Science Events
For planetarium & science events please check the description of each event age requirements, sign-ups, and other event specific information.