Stargazers and the nostalgic hobtonian still lament the loss of an educational icon in the city, calling for the creation of a new space where people can explore and enjoy the night sky.
The University of Toronto announced on Tuesday that it plans to dismantle the old McLoughlin Planetarium and change it to a cultural center.
The planetarium has been closed since 1995, but there are still many people in torunonia who have fond memories of the astronomical institution.
Shireen Jeejeebhoy remembers him lying in a chair and being struck by the stars and constellations.
"Visiting the planetarium is one of the few times I 've really escaped from the world," she said . ".
"Because the lights in Toronto made us unable to see the stars, we forgot what the night sky was supposed to be like.
Even when I was a child, you could still see the sky from certain places with your telescope, which is the eye --
Open and see what we have missed from the toronians. Glorious.
Jeejeebhoy said: "When the planetarium is closed, the opportunity for city children to experience the wonders of the night sky disappears.
"How will they understand from the heart how small our planet is, where it is in the universe, how does it move in the corners of the universe, and how does the sun affect our communications? ” she said.
"It's one thing to look at beautiful photos on Twitter;
It's another matter to understand them.
For Coran Mitchell, visiting the macrowlin planetarium as a child was an experience that always dumbfounded him and dreamed of becoming an astronomers.
This is the experience he hopes to pass on to his son.
"I feel very sad because he never had a chance to sit under the" Starry Sky "at the Planetarium," Mitchell said ".
"Living in the city and seeing the night sky is almost impossible for children in a city.
Hearing the news that the building was about to be demolished, Mitchell launched an online petition to convince the university to restore the planetarium to its former glory.
"In the end, I want to see it start working again.
"Sitting under the stars makes my dream come true," he said . "
"Maybe that's the problem.
"The effort to create a new planetarium in GTA is already in progress.
Earthshine is an astronomical and spatial science organization that hopes to set up a planetarium in Mississauga.
"We feel that Western GTA is underserved in any form of scientific promotion," said Randy Atwood, president of Earthshine.
"You need something to introduce the wonders of the universe to the family.
"Nationwide, interest in astronomy and space science seems to be growing.
In 2013, former astronaut Chris Hadfield tweeted on the international space station to make science cool.
He continued his propaganda work on Earth, wrote a book about his experience, and made a series of speech activities to encourage people to be curious and explore.
The planetarium is also recovering.
After the Dow Jones planetarium closed in Montreal in 2011, a new stateof-the-
Yiyi opened nearby in 2013 with two theaters and high-definition projectors.
Attwood says GTA has a real interest in similar spaces.
Although the Royal Ontario Museum has a portable planetarium and the Ontario Science Center has a small planetarium, one would like to see a complete Planetarium
Scale facilities using current technology.
"Basically now (planetariums)
Take the audience through the universe.
In fact, you can have someone fly over the solar system, "says Attwood, who is also the executive director of the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada.
He added that the planetarium is not only a place to learn, but also a great place for family outings and cultural exchanges.
"Like a library --
The library does not make money, but it is an important part of the community.