JOHN DRESCHER PLANETARIUM
Shows and lectures are very popular and sell out quickly; advance ticket purchase strongly recommended. Tickets may be purchased online at events.smc.edu ($2/ticket service charge), by phone at (310) 434 3000, or in person at the SMC Events Office (Amphitheater building, SMC Main Campus). Shows (except guest lectures) are held in the John Drescher Planetarium, located on SMC’s Main Campus in Drescher Hall Room 223. Admission to a single show or lecture is $5 ($4 seniors age 60+ and children age 12 and under). For the double-bill price of $9 ($7 seniors and children), you can enjoy both the Night Sky Show and the evening’s scheduled Feature Show or Guest Lecture. For information, please visit our website (www.smc.edu/planetarium) or call (310) 434 4223.
The
Night Sky Show
7:00
p.m. Presentation:
Shows and lectures are very popular and sell out quickly; advance ticket
purchase strongly recommended. Tickets may be purchased online at events.smc.edu
($2/ticket service charge), by phone at (310) 434-3000, or in person at
the SMC Events Office (Amphitheater building, SMC Main Campus). Shows
(except selected guest lectures) are held in the John Drescher Planetarium,
located on SMC’s Main Campus in Drescher Hall Room 223. Admission
to a single show or lecture is $5 ($4 seniors age 60+ and children age
12 and under). For the double-bill price of $9 ($7 seniors and children),
you can enjoy both the Night Sky Show and the evening’s scheduled
Feature Show or Guest Lecture. For information, please visit our website
(www.smc.edu/planetarium) or call (310) 434-4223.
Fri, February 1, 15, 22, 29 • 7pm
Fri,
March 7, 14, 21, 28 • 7pm
Fri, April 4, 18, 25 • 7pm
Fri, May 2, 9, 16, 30 • 7pm
Fri, June 6, 13 • 7pm
Fri, July 11, 18, 25 • 7pm
Fri, August 1, 8 • 7pm
Feature Shows & Guest Lectures
Planetarium Feature Shows and Guest Lectures are presented at 8 p.m. on
Fridays when the Night Sky Show is scheduled. For additional information,
please call (310) 434 4223.
Special Observing
Event:
Winter Sky Highlights
With the Moon rising late, it’s a good
time to see the wonders of the winter sky through a selection of telescopes.
After a short discussion on the wintertime bright star clusters and deep
sky objects—plus tips on what to look for—we’ll head
outside (weather permitting) for a session at the eyepiece. (If clouds
intervene, we’ll extend our discussion and enjoy more great images.)
Dress warmly!
Fri,
February 1 • 8pm • Planetarium
Impacts:
Life in the
Solar System Shooting Gallery
A pivotal
realization of 20th-century astronomy was the huge role impacts played
in creating today’s solar system. We’ll examine current theories
of impact cratering dynamics, how crater counts can reveal approximate
ages of surfaces, and how large impacts may account for the very existence
of our Moon. We’ll look at potentially hazardous near-Earth asteroids
and what those tiny “impact probability” numbers mean in real-life
terms.
Fri,
February 15, March 7 • 8pm • Planetarium
Special
Observing Event:
Saturn Near Opposition
The glorious rings of Saturn
are one of the greatest delights visible in a telescope’s eyepiece.
We’ll look at images of the Ringed Planet and discuss details visible
in the eyepiece, then head outdoors to view Saturn in multiple telescopes,
weather permitting. (If clouds intervene, we’ll extend our indoor
presentation with more breathtaking images of lovely, mysterious Saturn.)
Bring warm clothing!
Fri, February
22, March 14 • 8pm • Planetarium
Leap
Years and the Evolving Calendar
In 2008, February is 29 days
long, but why? Humans have long labored to create accurate calendars.
Current standards even require adding an occasional leap second to maintain
accuracy. Come explore the development of the modern calendar and the
pivotal role that precise time measurement plays in our understanding
of our world’s annual trips around the Sun.
Fri, February
29 • 8pm • Planetarium
Tilt!
Equinoxes and Solstices Explained
As we move through the Vernal
Equinox and mark the beginning of Spring, most of us are only vaguely
aware of what the equinoxes and solstices actually are. Using our Digistar
projector, we’ll try to remedy this disconnect from the natural
world. We’ll also try to dispel some myths, like that egg story….
Fri, March 21,
28 • 8pm • Planetarium
International
Space Station:
On the Home Stretch to Completion
After more than two decades
of planning, international negotiations, space flights from three continents,
glitches, and redesigns, the ISS is finally nearing completion. How will
the largest international space venture in history transition from assembly
to research operations? What will life on orbit be like for the crews?
How will the station be supported when the Space Shuttle is retired?
Fri, April 4,
18 • 8pm • Planetarium
The
International Year of Astronomy 2009
Next year marks the 400th anniversary
of the first use of an astronomical telescope by Galileo Galilei. To celebrate
this milestone, UNESCO and the International Astronomical Union have declared
2009 the “International Year of Astronomy.” Here’s a
sneak preview of some of the activities planned to “help the citizens
of the world rediscover their place in the Universe through the day and
night time sky, and thereby engage a personal sense of wonder and discovery.”
Fri, April 25,
May 2 • 8pm • Planetarium
Guest Speaker:
Dr. Robert Troy, NASA/JPL
Dr. Troy—at the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory for more than
a decade—has served as a staff engineer on such projects as Genesis,
the Mars Polar Lander, Mars Exploration Rovers, and the Mars Science Laboratory.
Experienced as both a spacecraft design engineer and a planetary scientist,
he’ll relate how these two communities combine talents (and make
tradeoffs) to bring these missions from concept to flight.
Fri, May 9 •
8pm • Planetarium
Mars
Phoenix Lander: Before and After
NASA’s Mars Phoenix is
scheduled to touch down in the Red Planet’s high northern latitudes
on May 25. We’ll review our recent discoveries from other missions,
then discuss this latest Scout-class mission to Mars and the various science
objectives it hopes to accomplish.
Fri, May 16,
30 • 8pm • Planetarium
Summer
Star Party Planner
Summer is a great time of year
for beginners to attend “star parties,” gatherings of amateur
astronomers to observe the evening sky. From local urban and suburban
locations to high, dark mountains and deserts, we’ll clue you in
on where and when to go, and what to bring to be a welcome star party
visitor and participant.
Fri, June 6,
13 • 8pm • Planetarium
Additional planetarium shows
are scheduled at 8 pm on the following Fridays: July 11, 18, and 25, and
August 1 and 8. Details were not finalized at press time. Please visit
our website (www.smc.edu/planetarium) or call (310) 434-4323 for up-to-date
information.
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