Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters

Take your next trip with Atlas Obscura!

Our small-group adventures are inspired by our Atlas of the world's most fascinating places, the stories behind them, and the people who bring them to life.

Visit Adventures
Trips Highlight
Puglia Italy - Matera
Italy • 8 days, 7 nights
Southern Italy: Castles, Caves & Coastal Treasures in Puglia
from
Turkmenistan Gates of Hell Darvaza crater
Turkmenistan • 10 days, 9 nights
Turkmenistan & the Gates of Hell
from
View all trips
Top Destinations
Latest Places
Most Popular Places Random Place Lists Itineraries
Add a Place
Download the App
Top Destinations
View All Destinations »

Countries

  • Australia
  • Canada
  • China
  • France
  • Germany
  • India
  • Italy
  • Japan

Cities

  • Amsterdam
  • Barcelona
  • Beijing
  • Berlin
  • Boston
  • Budapest
  • Chicago
  • London
  • Los Angeles
  • Mexico City
  • Montreal
  • Moscow
  • New Orleans
  • New York City
  • Paris
  • Philadelphia
  • Rome
  • San Francisco
  • Seattle
  • Stockholm
  • Tokyo
  • Toronto
  • Vienna
  • Washington, D.C.
Latest Places
View All Places »
Pinal Airpark
Note the chrysanthemum crests.
Hachiman Bridge
Clarendon War Memorial.
Clarendon War Memorial
This fried chicken is one of Bangkok’s most famous.
Gai Tord Jae Kee
Latest Places to Eat & Drink
View All Places to Eat »
Everything at Li’l Dizzy’s Cafe is served in takeout containers.
Li’l Dizzy’s Cafe
The fried green tomato sandwich comes on jalapeño cornbread toast.
Café Reconcile
BBQ shrimp braised in beer are a popular menu item.
High Hat Cafe
The pastries at Lagniappe Bakehouse are worth waking up for.
Lagniappe Bakehouse
Peter Vazquez has been quietly making a name for himself for years.
The Appetite Repair Shop
Recent Stories
All Stories Video Podcast
Most Recent Stories
View All Stories »
Haleakalā National Park’s summit region, shrouded in the pre-dawn fog.
Beware the Legends Behind These National Park Souvenirs
13 days ago
For Aguilar-Carrasco, nature is a powerful reminder of the interconnectedness of all life.
How Can National Parks Be Made Accessible to All? AO Wants to Know.
14 days ago
Podcast: Finding ‘The Great Gatsby’ in Louisville
15 days ago
Here’s which treats you can safely lug home without risking a fine.
Dear Atlas: What International Food Can I Legally Bring Into the U.S.?
16 days ago

No search results found for
“”

Make sure words are spelled correctly.

Try searching for a travel destination.

Places near me Random place

Popular Destinations

  • Paris
  • London
  • New York
  • Berlin
  • Rome
  • Los Angeles
Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters
Sign In Join
Places near me Random place
All the United States Wisconsin Rhinelander Kovac Planetarium
AO Edited

Kovac Planetarium

One extremely determined man's homemade universe.

Rhinelander, Wisconsin

Added By
Alicia
Email
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list
The globe-shaped planetarium   edwardhblake/CC BY 2.0
The globe-shaped planetarium   edwardhblake/CC BY 2.0
The globe-shaped planetarium   edwardhblake/CC BY 2.0
Hand painted, glow-in-the-dark stars inside the Planetarium. Some stars received up to five coats of paint to create the appropriate brightness.   Erin Johnson / Atlas Obscura User
Blue phosphorescent paint was used to create the 5,000 stars inside the Planetarium. It lasts longer than common green paint and twinkles as it loses its charge.   Erin Johnson / Atlas Obscura User
  Erin Johnson / Atlas Obscura User
Exterior of the building.   edwardhblake/CC BY 2.0
Frank Kovak inside the glowing planetarium   Mark Hartman
  edwardhblake/CC BY 2.0
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list

About

In 1996, Frank Kovac was frustrated with not being able to see the sky. On a Boy Scout trip to the Mud Creek Observatory in Wisconsin, Kovac and his troop were unable to see the stars because of a thick cloud cover that obscured the sparkly universe. Thus began a 10-year journey for Frank Kovac: he was going to build the night sky in his own backyard.

Kovac’s interest in the universe was not ignited on that night in 1996. In his youth, Kovac dreamed of being an astrophysicist but gave up on his college degree. Though a paper mill worker by trade with only a high school diploma, Kovac was determined to satisfy his longing for the stars.

The result was the Kovac Planetarium housed in the middle of Northern Wisconsin, “Where the Universe Revolves Around You.”

Kovac created a 22-foot-diameter, two-ton globe tipped at 45 degrees so that it was on the latitude appropriate for his part of the country. Next, he painted every star visible in the northern hemisphere within the globe, focusing on painting each to its appropriate brightness and position. He meticulously hand painted more than 5,000 stars inside his globe. The globe itself is only the fourth globe-style planetarium in existence—and the other three reach back to the 15th century. His machine is electrically powered (the speed can be controlled) because he couldn’t afford to have a projection system typical of state- or educationally-run planetariums.

Though Frank continues to work part-time at the paper mill, the planetarium is his true love. When on the tour you will not just see the amazing planetarium but meet Frank who will proudly state, "My name is Frank Kovac and I designed and built the world's largest rolling, mechanical, globe planetarium."

Related Tags

Strange Science Instruments Of Science Optical Oddities Planetariums Space Exploration Astronomy Inventions

Know Before You Go

From Monico (the nearest town to Rhinelander), the planetarium is five miles east on Highway 8.

Community Contributors

Added By

Alicia Bones

Edited By

littlebrumble, Martin, alzeryon, Erin Johnson...

  • littlebrumble
  • Martin
  • alzeryon
  • Erin Johnson
  • Michelle Cassidy

Published

June 14, 2012

Updated

July 9, 2021

Edit this listing

Make an Edit
Add Photos
Sources
  • http://www.cbsnews.com/2100-500617_162-7100803.html
  • https://www.wjfw.com/storydetails/20200821170943/kovac_planetarium_reopens_
Kovac Planetarium
2392 Mud Creek Road
Rhinelander, Wisconsin, 54501
United States
45.573875, -89.065574
Visit Website
Get Directions

Nearby Places

Rhinelapus

Monico, Wisconsin

miles away

World's Largest Soup Kettle

Laona, Wisconsin

miles away

The Hodag

Rhinelander, Wisconsin

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Rhinelander

Rhinelander

Wisconsin

Places 2

Nearby Places

Rhinelapus

Monico, Wisconsin

miles away

World's Largest Soup Kettle

Laona, Wisconsin

miles away

The Hodag

Rhinelander, Wisconsin

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Rhinelander

Rhinelander

Wisconsin

Places 2

Related Stories and Lists

9 Planetariums to Get Lost in the Cosmos

List

By Jonathan Carey

Related Places

  • Antofagasta Province, Chile

    The VLT - Very Large Telescope

    In the most arid desert on the planet, the world's leading telescope allows astronomers to see more than has ever been seen before.

  • Edinburgh’s oldest purpose built visitor attraction, The Camera Obscura on the Royal Mile

    Edinburgh, Scotland

    Camera Obscura & World of Illusions

    360° views of the city plus five floors of optical illusions and hands-on science.

  • Hubble Replica

    Marshfield, Missouri

    Hubble Space Telescope Replica

    In Edwin Hubble's hometown, a scale model of the groundbreaking telescope that was named in his honor.

  • Tesla Coil

    Los Angeles, California

    Griffith Observatory's Tesla Coil

    High on a hill overlooking Los Angeles lives a world famous, high power conical Tesla Coil.

  • Reed Reactor

    Portland, Oregon

    Reed College Research Reactor

    World's only nuclear reactor operated by liberal arts undergraduates.

  • Korolyov, Russia

    RKK Energiya Museum

    This iconic Russian space museum sits on a landmark space production facility and houses the Vostok 1, the first manned spacecraft, that was also built here.

  • At Star City’s Hydro Lab, an entire mock spacecraft is submerged in a tank filled with water, the density of which helps to recreate the feeling of weightlessness for cosmonauts.

    Shchyolkovo, Russia

    Star City

    Secret Soviet city once home to Russian cosmonauts and space training facilities.

  • Rollout of the Soyuz rocket for the Expedition 21 mission, September 28, 2009.

    Baikonur, Kazakhstan

    Baikonur Cosmodrome

    World's oldest and largest space launch facility, once a secret missile testing site.

Aerial image of Vietnam, displaying the picturesque rice terraces, characterized by their layered, verdant fields.
Atlas Obscura Membership

Become an Atlas Obscura Member


Join our community of curious explorers.

Become a Member

Get Our Email Newsletter

Follow Us

Facebook YouTube TikTok Instagram Pinterest RSS Feed

Get the app

Download the App
Download on the Apple App Store Get it on Google Play
  • All Places
  • Latest Places
  • Most Popular
  • Places to Eat
  • Random
  • Nearby
  • Add a Place
  • Stories
  • Food & Drink
  • Itineraries
  • Lists
  • Video
  • Podcast
  • Newsletters
  • All Trips
  • Family Trip
  • Food & Drink
  • History & Culture
  • Wildlife & Nature
  • FAQ
  • Membership
  • Feedback & Ideas
  • Community Guidelines
  • Product Blog
  • Unique Gifts
  • Work With Us
  • About
  • FAQ
  • Advertise With Us
  • Advertising Guidelines
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookie Policy
  • Terms of Use
Atlas Obscura

© 2025 Atlas Obscura. All Rights Reserved.