POTARZYCA

Potarzyca is a locality situated in Jarocin district (powiat), 12 km south-east of Jarocin.

The Planetarium in Potarzyca is one of fourteen planetariums operating in Poland and the only such teaching aid in the history of Polish education: it is namely adjacent to an elementary and a junior-high school. The facility is listed as an astronomical facility/institution by the Committee for Cooperation of Polish Planetariums, the Polish Astronomy Lovers’ Association and the International Astronomical Union.

The projection apparatus and the dome were designed by Andrzej Owczarek, a teacher at the local school. The projection dome, diameter 5 m, is made of plastics. The image of starlit heaven can be observed thanks to a spherical projector whose 24 projection systems display some 6,000 stars – that is, as many as the human naked eye can spot in total. Such a structure enables observation of the sky at various times of the day and seasons of the year, including a variety of astronomic phenomena (falling-down meteorites, aurora borealis, solar or lunar eclipses). The projection is accompanied by a very interesting story told by Mr. Owczarek himself.

For more, see: Planetarium website

‘Jan Heweliusz’ Planetarium in Potarzyca
ul. Wyzwolenia 65
63-200 Jarocin
Tel. +48 62 740 46 46