Painting the sky with stars
After 45 years of star service, Harold is retiring.
Harold, in case you’re not familiar with his work, is the star projector at H. R. MacMillan Space Centre. During his employment with the Space Centre, he has used a combination of smaller projectors, gears and motors to recreate an amazing night sky for visitors. If you want to catch his work one last time, it will continue through Sunday, July 8. He’ll return part- time to the Space Centre in early November. “While we are sad to say goodbye to Harold as he heads off on a well- earned and overdue vacation, we know he won’t be far from the hearts and memories of the seven million people who have visited the Space Centre since his arrival,” Rob Appleton, the Space Centre’s executive director, said in a release. This summer, the Space Centre will undergo installation of a full- dome digital projection system, which has been adopted by other planetariums across Canada. In honour of Harold’s semiretirement, here’s a look back at his career:
1967:
Harold joined the Space Centre from the Carl Zeiss Jena factory in East Germany.
Hey, hey, hey:
Harold was named after ‘ Weird Harold,’ a tall, skinny character from the popular cartoon Fat Albert and the Cosby Kids.
75,000:
Number of shows Harold has presented over the years.
Celebrity guests:
Harold has performed for Prince Philip, as well as Star Trek’s William Shatner and Leonard Nimoy.
Twitter:
Harold has launched his own Twitter account, @harold_ hrmsc, and will keep his fans updated on his activities.
Final Harold shows:
Harold’s Solar System; Sky Tonight; Night Watch; Mansions in the Sun; and Electric Company Theatre’s You Are Very Star. Visit www.spacecentre.ca for show times.