Review: Robert J. Novins Planetarium’s “Bella Gaia”

I visited the Robert J. Novins Planetarium on campus recently, for their new show, “Bella Gaia” This show takes viewers along the journey of Planet Earth, and the impacts mankind has had on it.

“Bella Gaia” begins by delving into the Milky Way galaxy. It highlights all of the planets in the galaxy, their average temperatures, and gases; thus, making them inhabitable. We then get to planet Earth; of course, the only habitable planet in the solar system.

The show displayed various data visualizations such as the magnetic fields of Earth, the climate differences throughout seasons, and the changing ocean currents and temperatures.

We began our journey through physical Earth by taking a look at some popular destinations and their history. We experienced Ancient Egypt through the pyramids and sphinx. We traveled through India; visiting the Ganges River, experiencing the Indian culture, and even seeing a few elephants along the way. We swam in the Caribbean with sea turtles. We made it to springtime in Japan and got to experience the beautiful cherry blossoms.

Finally, we made our way to America’s most popular city: New York. New York, a city fueled by money, began the transformation into a review of the Anthropocene. In other words, we saw data visualizations of the human impact on Earth.

“Bella Gaia” displayed various climate-related problems: oil consumption, solar energy, plastic pollution, CO2 emissions, urban populations, air traffic, and active fires. It was displayed typically through data per country and demonstrates some of the negative effects we humans have had on the Earth.

This show was an incredible experience, and I highly recommend seeing it. Bella Gaia makes the effort to demonstrate how humans and nature are interconnected, and they do a wonderful job portraying it. Through stunning visuals, statistics, and a very important message, this show was incredible from start to finish.

I highly recommend checking out “Bella Gaia” which is showing throughout the month of April. And students even get discounted tickets!