LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WKYT) — For today’s Good Question, a viewer named Bethany asked us to look into the status of the Hummel Planetarium in Richmond, which closed about four to five years ago for repairs with no clear reopening timeline.

In 2021, Eastern Kentucky University announced the Hummel Planetarium would be temporarily closing. This came after the facility had already closed to the public the previous year as part of the university’s response to COVID-19.

Now more than four years later, that temporary closure is still in place.

Expensive maintenance challenges

In 2023, Jill Price, the associate vice president for outreach and engagement at EKU, told the Herald-Leader the facility faces significant challenges.

“It’s a very expensive facility to maintain. It’s a very unique structu

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