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By Tami Jo Nix - The Madera Tribune

Former Maderan Aaron Guzman (left) shows off the new Digistar 3 component to Joe Serrano at the Don Harrington Discovery Center in Amarillo, Texas. Serrano and his wife Anna Guzman (Aaron's mother) of Madera recently visited her son for the opening of the DHDC Space Theater. Photo Courtesy Guzman Family Archives /Special to the Tribune

Former Maderan Aaron Guzman (left) shows off the new Digistar 3 component to Joe Serrano at the Don Harrington Discovery Center in Amarillo, Texas. Serrano and his wife Anna Guzman (Aaron's mother) of Madera recently visited her son for the opening of the DHDC Space Theater. Photo Courtesy Guzman Family Archives /Special to the Tribune

Aaron Guzman, a 1985 Madera High School graduate attended San Diego State University moved to Amarillo, Texas in 1995. Guzman worked briefly at the Discovery Center in Fresno before moving to Texas.

Presently Guzman is the Space Theater Director at the Don Harrington Discovery Center in Amarillo.

"Here at the Don Harrington Discovery Center, we have (recently) completed major renovations of our planetarium. Renamed the Space Theater, we have installed the world's most advanced digital theater system," Guzman said. "The Digistar 3 is manufactured by Evans and Sutherland of Salt Lake City."

Instead of using the traditional starball type telescope usually seen in the middle of a planetarium, six video projectors have been placed around the outside of the planetarium dome.

"With all six projectors linked together by computers, we are able to create an immersive environment and create almost any image and scene we can imagine," Guzman said.

This system is only the fifth installation of the Digistar 3 in the world.

According to Guzman, Amarillo, Texas occupies the same geographical niche as Fresno. At about half the size of Fresno, Amarillo is the largest city in the Texas Panhandle. The next closest town of its size is Lubbock, about 120 miles away.

"Having an advanced system in a city that, in most people's eyes, is in the middle of nowhere is considered a major feat in the planetarium community," Guzman said.

Guzman still maintains strong ties to Madera as his parents and much of my immediate family still live in the area.

Local family members include his sister, Anne Lozano of Howard School and her husband Washington Elementary School Principal Raul Lozano. His mother, Anna Guzman, retired from the Migrant Education Department at Madera High School. She and her husband Joe Serrano are retired farmers in Madera.

Mr. Guzman spent some time as a substitute teacher after graduating from San Diego State University.

"Until I found a job more suited to my skills, at the Fresno Discovery Center," he said.

He left Madera because there wasn't a planetarium in the area.

"The Downing Planetarium at Fresno State was constructed later," Guzman said.

The Ultimate Digital Theater Evans and Sutherland's new "Digistar 3" system offers real-time 3D computer graphics, all-dome, high-definition video, and a complete digital astronomy system with 3D stars, planets, galaxies, moons, comets, and a fully-customizable star fields in one system, according to the company's website.

For more information on the Digistar 3 check out the Evans & Sutherland web-site at www.e&s.com. The Don Harrington Discovery Center web-site at is located at www.dhdc.org.

The center will run the program "Fantastic Universe" four showings a day Tuesday through Saturday, through Sept. 19.

Tami Jo Nix Tami Jo Nix is a senior staff writer, photographer and community / features writer for the Madera Tribune. You can contact Tami Jo at 674.8134 ext. 231 or e-mail at tamijo (at) maderatribune.net Tami Jo also handles community calendar items and wedding announcements. The Madera Tribune online subscription To subscribe or log on, CLICK HERE. For more information first, CLICK HERE.