ROCHESTER, N.Y. — Thirty-five years is a good run in any job. For the director of Rochester’s Strasenburgh Planetarium, it means it’s time to move on.

Steve Fentress has helped guide thousands of people on an out-of-this-world journey. On a recent day in his office at the planetarium, part of the Rochester Museum and Science Center, he sat in front of his computer, working on a laser show — a virtual universe that Fentress is programming based on the actual universe.

“We’re so much more connected to the outside world than we were before,” said Fentress. “So it’s a whole new dynamic approach that we didn't have before.”

Fentress is the longtime director of the Strasenburgh Planetarium, where the mission is to foster understanding and appreciation of the order and majesty of the universe. RMSC’s mission is to spark curiosity about science and technology.

Curiosity is what drew Fentress to astronomy.

“I can remember going to a planetarium show when I was a little child, and it was about the end of the world,” he said. “And I thought, 'this is so corny, but it's so cool.' ”

In his 35 years at the planetarium, Fentress has been Rochester’s go-to guy for universal events. The next big one is next April’s solar eclipse. But Fentress won’t be around to observe it — at least not as planetarium director. In November, he is retiring.

“Sometimes the best thing you can do for a creative enterprise is step aside and let somebody from the new generation come in," he said.

Several generations have learned about the universe through the planetarium’s programs. Each day there are spectacular laser shows, often set to music, which tell the story.

As he approaches retirement, Fentress isn’t ready yet to say what’s next in his career.

“I’m personally very grateful,” said Fentress. “It’s the Rochester community that has kept this planetarium open for 55 years by continuing to come. That's what really counts, is people showing up, and they've been doing it."

A search is now underway for the next director of Strasenburgh Planetarium.

“They want something that's that's challenging and different and special,” he said. “And so we've worked to maintain that. And people keep showing up. That's what really makes it happen."