Hardin Planetarium at WKU celebrating 50 years of ‘The Dark Side of the Moon’

BOWLING GREEN, Ky. (WBKO) – An iconic Pink Floyd album will be celebrated at an upcoming show at Western Kentucky University’s Hardin Planetarium.

The planetarium announced it will display an unprecedented sight and sound experience of the 1973 album “The Dark Side of the Moon.”

“Unlike the laser-light shows of the past, this is an all-new full-dome planetarium that will immerse the viewer in both the songs of the album and stunning imagery,” according to a news release from WKU.

‘The Dark Side of the Moon’: 50 Years in a Heartbeat” will open with showings at 8 p.m. July 21 and July 22. A full schedule of shows is available when buying tickets, but it will mostly run on Friday nights until April 2024.

Unlike Hardin Planetarium’s normal free presentations, tickets for this Dark Side of the Moon anniversary experience may be purchased through the planetarium’s website at https://www.wku.edu/hardinplanetarium/. All proceeds support Hardin Planetarium.

“We are delighted that Hardin Planetarium is one of only a few places in the United States where this 50th-year commemoration can be experienced,” said Dr. Michael Carini, department head of Physics and Astronomy at WKU and Interim Planetarium Director. “This is a unique, short-lived opportunity as this show will not be available anywhere in the world after March 31, 2024.”

Pink Floyd is a progressive rock band that released the record-shattering album The Dark Side of the Moon in 1973, which remained on the Billboard 200 charts for 937 weeks. The common association of this album with planetariums began a year before its release, as the band first performed the songs live in a planetarium.

“It is awesome to behold what has been created,” said Chris Chandler, planetarium specialist, when describing the show. “This isn’t merely entertainment; it features NASA missions past, present, and near future, all set to music played at proper Pink Floyd volume. It is quite an experience with the planetarium’s new sound system.”

Chandler said the goal was to compliment the planetarium’s regular education focused shows with occasional, high-profile entertainment in order to bring more people to Bowling Green and to WKU, as Hardin Planetarium continues its mission to fuse education and entertainment.

The Hardin Planetarium is located at 1501 State St.

For tickets and show dates, visit http://www.alumni.wku.edu/planetariumtickets.