Have you heard? All versions are now Taylor’s version! To celebrate, the Springfield Museums is presenting Reputation: Under the Stars in the Seymour Planetarium on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays at 4 pm. The show features the original recordings from Taylor Swift’s 2017 album and dazzling effects created by a full-dome projector. Planetarium shows are free for Museums members and $5 for visitors ages 8 and up (in addition to museum admission).
“I love the sound of visitors singing along with the music in Seymour Planetarium and when there’s dancing in the aisles!” says Jenny Powers, Director of the Springfield Science Museum and certified Swiftie. “And now when we license the music, it’s now the artist that benefits from the songs she created. We’re so happy that now every version is Taylor’s version!”
After the success of 1989: Under the Stars in spring 2024, the staff at the Springfield Science Museum were eager to follow it up with the fan-favorite Reputation, but there was one catch: they had vowed to only utilize recordings owned by the singer-songwriter, and Swift had not released her version of the album yet. Kaitlynn Goulette, an amateur astronomer, Seymour Planetarium educator, and Taylor fan, got to work creating the show last summer to ensure it would be ready when the re-recording was announced.
At just 16 years old, Goulette has amassed an extensive astronomy resume. She is a distinguished graduate of the Arunah Hill Natural Science Center‘s Starwatch leadership program. Additionally, she served as a panelist for the Science Museum’s monthly online outreach program, AstroQuest. Holding the position of director at the Springfield STARS Club, she further demonstrates her commitment to the realm of astronomy.
Most recently, Kaitlynn’s monthly space and astronomy newsletter, The Starry Scoop, marked its five-year anniversary, and she launched a biweekly podcast of the same name shaped around bringing astronomy topics into the hands of beginners. For her work in space and astronomy outreach, she received the Raymond Fairbanks Youth Outreach Award from the Springfield Telescope Makers.
The Seymour Planetarium is home to historically significant astronomy education tools as well as modern digital presentations. At 86 years, the Museum’s Korkosz projector (known as the “star ball”) is the oldest operating American-made projector in the world. In 2023, the Springfield Museums upgraded the planetarium with a full-dome video system using Zeiss Velvet projectors covers the dome with images and video, creating immersive experiences in Astronomy and Earth Science. Zeiss Velvet projectors are the only projectors in the world that have a pure black background, enhancing the beauty of the historic Korkosz projector’s optical star field.
MassMutual is the season sponsor of the Springfield Museums.