Photo by Jia Teng Lim

UPDATE: Hold on to your telescopes, folks! UW-Eau Claire now says the announcement that the L.E. Phillips Planetarium would close after this semester because of state budget cuts is “premature.” The original announcement, made last week via an email from the planetarium’s director as well as on the planetarium’s website, was reported in a story in the Feb. 18 edition of Volume One. However, a media memo Friday afternoon from the university had this to say:

 Announcements recently were made via social media that UW-Eau Claire’s L.E. Phillips Planetarium will close May 16 due to budget cuts. These announcements are premature.

 The university continues its process of determining ways to meet its share of Gov. Scott Walker’s proposed 2015-17 state budget reduction to UW System, but no specific decisions have been made regarding cuts in response to the proposed reduction.

 Will the stars align to save the planetarium in the face of millions of dollars in cuts to UWEC? Keep your eyes on the sky to find out!

NOTE: Our original story is below.

UW-Eau Claire’s L.E. Phillips Planetarium, which hosts frequent programs about the night sky, will close at the end of the semester because of state budget cuts, planetarium director Lauren Likkel announced. Because of the impending closure, all shows – which are held at 7pm Thursdays and 11am Saturdays – will be free. In addition to a $4.5 million shortfall that must be fixed by June 30, UWEC faces an estimated $7.6 million cut from its base budget in each of the next two fiscal years as part of a $300 million UW System cut proposed by Gov. Scott Walker. Over in Menomonie, UW-Stout faces a $5.8 million annual reduction, according to estimates by the Legislative Fiscal Bureau.