{
  "story": {
    "slug": "uaf-just-got-stars",
    "headline": "uaf just got stars",
    "deck": "The Walt and Marita Babula Planetarium opened at the UAF Museum of the North, giving Fairbanks a new year round indoor stargazing option.",
    "url": "https://thedailyalaska.com/story/uaf-just-got-stars",
    "section": "Life",
    "area": "Fairbanks",
    "published_at": "2026-05-05T20:00:00+00:00",
    "updated_at": "2026-10-01T05:19:25.551196+00:00",
    "body_md": "The Walt and Marita Babula Planetarium opened to the public at the University of Alaska Fairbanks Museum of the North on Saturday, April 25, on the museum's West Ridge campus. The project had been in planning for roughly thirty years and took close to a year to build.\n\nThe new dome theater uses full sky projections, letting visitors watch simulations of the aurora, the planets, or deep field imagery on a single overhead screen. For Fairbanks residents and Interior visitors, the planetarium gives the area a year round indoor venue for stargazing during the months when cloud cover or cold keeps people from viewing the night sky outside.\n\nThe planetarium was built onto the existing Museum of the North facility without a major change to the building's footprint. Regular public programming has already begun.\n\nThe Museum of the North already draws visitors for its Alaska natural and cultural history exhibits, and the addition of the Babula Planetarium gives the museum a new standing attraction on campus.",
    "sources": [
      {
        "url": "https://www.alaskasnewssource.com/2026/04/21/uaf-planetarium-prepares-april-25-grand-opening/",
        "label": "alaskasnewssource.com"
      }
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    "story_id": "e6d96131-7c93-4cf9-8ae8-d4b5bb0afa2e",
    "slug": "uaf-just-got-stars",
    "summary": "The Walt and Marita Babula Planetarium opened to the public at the UAF Museum of the North on April 25, 2026, after about a year of construction and roughly thirty years of planning, giving Fairbanks a year round indoor venue for full sky simulations of the aurora, planets, and deep field imagery.",
    "key_facts": [
      "The Walt and Marita Babula Planetarium opened at the UAF Museum of the North on April 25th",
      "Planning for the planetarium took roughly thirty years",
      "Construction took close to a year to complete",
      "The planetarium is built onto the existing museum on West Ridge without a major footprint change",
      "Regular programming has already started"
    ],
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    "claims": [],
    "locations": [],
    "people": [],
    "organizations": [],
    "event_dates": [],
    "story_status": "resolved",
    "what_changed": null,
    "keywords": [
      "babula planetarium",
      "uaf museum of the north",
      "fairbanks planetarium",
      "west ridge campus",
      "alaska stargazing",
      "aurora projection dome",
      "fairbanks family attractions"
    ],
    "disclosure": "Produced with AI assistance, narrated with Slav Lund's voice clone with his consent, and reviewed by a person before publishing.",
    "generated_at": "2026-10-01T05:19:25.511+00:00",
    "reviewed_at": null,
    "updated_at": "2026-10-01T05:19:25.551196+00:00"
  },
  "entities": [],
  "corrections": [],
  "underwriting": null,
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    "headline": "uaf just got stars",
    "description": "The Walt and Marita Babula Planetarium opened to the public at the UAF Museum of the North on April 25, 2026, after about a year of construction and roughly thirty years of planning, giving Fairbanks a year round indoor venue for full sky simulations of the aurora, planets, and deep field imagery.",
    "abstract": "The Walt and Marita Babula Planetarium opened to the public at the UAF Museum of the North on April 25, 2026, after about a year of construction and roughly thirty years of planning, giving Fairbanks a year round indoor venue for full sky simulations of the aurora, planets, and deep field imagery.",
    "datePublished": "2026-05-05T20:00:00+00:00",
    "dateModified": "2026-10-01T05:19:25.551196+00:00",
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      "name": "Slav Lund",
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    "inLanguage": "en-US",
    "articleSection": "Life",
    "keywords": "babula planetarium, uaf museum of the north, fairbanks planetarium, west ridge campus, alaska stargazing, aurora projection dome, fairbanks family attractions",
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