TOWN OF MONICO, Wis. (WJFW) — From the outside, it doesn’t look like much, but step inside the Kovac Planetarium and you’ll find a massive, handmade window into space.
The man behind the planetarium reaching for the stars with new and improved technology.
Down a dirt road in the small town of Monico, is a sight you would never expect— the world’s largest handmade mechanical globe planetarium.
“It’s nothing short of spectacular,” owner Frank Kovac said.
In 1997, Kovac began building a 4,000-pound motorized globe. When the motor is turned on, it rotates and replicates the night sky.
“It wasn’t something I thought might even work,” Kovac said.
Kovac completed construction in 2007 but his love of astronomy came long before he began building.
“My dad had a telescope when I was a child around the age of 13,” Kovac said. “So, once I saw the moon through that, it opened up my mind like ‘”I can’t believe I’m looking at something like this.’” Then I thought, ‘”I wonder where that planet with the rings is.’”
He says inspiration for his planetarium came from a similar century-old structure in Chicago but with a key difference.
“They drilled holes through the sheet metal ball to make it look like starlight coming through,” Kovac said. “My goal was to make it look like the night sky. How do you do that without a projector? Glow-in-the-dark paint is just amazing.”
Inside, Kovac hand-painted around 5,000 stars, replicating every single constellation in the Northern Hemisphere.
“You don’t have to buy a plane ticket if you live in northern Wisconsin,” Kovac said. “You can come see the world’s largest mechanical globe planetarium (in Monico).”
All in honor of the man who inspired Kovac as a child, his father, Frank Kovac Sr., who died around the time he started building the planetarium
“He inspired me,” Kovac said. “Most museums are named after somebody and I thought ‘”how appropriate.'” My dad got me interested and then I dedicated it to him.”
Now almost 20 years after the project’s completion, the planetarium is upgrading, all thanks to a $30,000 projector.
“There is no other planetarium in the whole world that can do what this one does,” Kovac said.
With new immersive technology, Kovac can bring the universe to life in a whole new way — by showing detailed star maps and educational documentaries.
“I’ve always been excited to do shows here,” Kovac said. “I love teaching people about the universe. Especially if you get schoolchildren. They come in here and the look on their face when they walk in here, they can’t believe it. It’s almost like they’re going to Disneyland here in Northern Wisconsin. Now with this new technology and what I can show people, it’s just going to be so amazing.”
Reservations for showings can be made by calling 715-490-6956.
