Herrett Center for Arts and Science facts for kids

The Herrett Center for Arts and Science is a cool museum located in Twin Falls, Idaho. It's part of the College of Southern Idaho campus. This museum is a special place where you can learn about many different things. It covers anthropology (the study of humans and their cultures), natural history (like animals and plants), astronomy (space and stars), and art.

The museum has amazing collections. You can see old tools and items from ancient people in the Americas. There are also many natural history items. Plus, you can enjoy art from local artists. The Herrett Center also has a Planetarium called the Faulkner Planetarium. It has an Observatory too, where you can look at stars. There's also a museum shop and a big room for events.

Explore the Museum Galleries

The museum galleries are full of interesting things to see. You'll find many old artifacts and items from different cultures. Most of these come from North and South America.

One of the most famous items is the Simon Clovis cache. This is a collection of over thirty stone tools found in Idaho in 1961. These tools were made by some of the earliest people in North America! You can also see a copy of the Huntington Canyon Mammoth. This is a giant mammoth skeleton found in Utah in 1988. It's almost a complete skeleton! The Jean B. King Gallery of Art shows new exhibits several times a year. It also features art from students and teachers.

Journey Through the Planetarium

The Faulkner Planetarium opened in 1995. It was the biggest planetarium in Idaho at the time! It has 151 seats under a huge 50-foot (15.2 meter) dome. When it first opened, it had one of the first digital projectors called Digistar II. This projector could show amazing images of space.

Over the years, the planetarium has been updated with even better technology. In 2013, it got a new Digistar 5 system. This system shows full-dome videos, making you feel like you're really in space! It also has cool LED lights and a great surround sound system. In 2020, it was updated again to Digistar 6. The planetarium offers fun shows for school groups and the public all year long.

Discover the Observatory

The Centennial Observatory opened in May 2004. It was special because it had the largest wheelchair-accessible public telescope in the world back then! This means everyone could easily use it.

The observatory houses a powerful 24-inch (0.6 meter) telescope. It's a special type called a Ritchey-Chrétien telescope. This telescope is computer-controlled and sits under a 20-foot (6 meter) dome. There are also smaller portable telescopes you can use. The observatory offers chances to look at the stars and planets throughout the year. Both the public and school groups can visit.

Event Space: Rick Allen Room

The Rick Allen Room is a large, flexible space at the Herrett Center. It's 50 by 58 feet and has a nice view of the campus. There's also an outdoor patio for events. This room can be set up for many different activities. It has full audio and video equipment, including projectors and microphones. There's even a small kitchen area with a refrigerator and microwave.

History of the Herrett Center

The museum started thanks to a man named Norman Herrett. He owned a jewelry store in Twin Falls. In the 1950s, he loved astronomy and collecting old artifacts. He built a small building behind his store. It had an observatory on the roof and a planetarium inside! He also had a room next to his store to show off his collections. He collected old items from his trips across the Americas. Later, he also showed art from local artists.

Norman Herrett's center was known for its unique exhibits. Many of them even had moving parts! The planetarium had special projectors and cool effects. His observatory had two telescopes. Local students helped him by giving tours and shows to school groups. In 1972, Norman Herrett made a deal with the new College of Southern Idaho. He agreed to give his collections to the college. In return, the college would build a new home for them on campus.

The Herrett Center museum opened on the CSI campus in 1980. This was shortly after Norman Herrett passed away. The new building had galleries for anthropology and art. Later, in 1995 and 2003-2004, the center grew even more. They added more gallery space, the Faulkner Planetarium, new storage for artifacts, the Rick Allen multi-purpose room, and the Centennial Observatory.

See also

• List of astronomical observatories
• List of astronomical societies
• List of planetariums
• Lists of telescopes