Currently, the Museum is offering the public an opportunity to purchase individual stars, which will help pay for a major renovation of the dome. In all, there are 3,000 stars and about one-fourth have been sold to date. Prices for these special gifts depends on their magnitude, or brightness.
Discounts are available on complete constellations.
All star purchases are considered donations and are tax deductible. The one-ton copper dome, built in 1935, reproduces the brightest stars as seen from Cleveland between 9 and 11 p.m. for each month of the year. The original 3,000 tiny, 6-volt light bulbs are being replaced with a modern fiber optic filament that will illuminate from a single source of light. The stars' brightness are determined by the diameter of the filament. The display will not only be easier to maintain, but it also will more closely represent the true pinpoint images of the real stars.