WSC Planetarium to Host Variety of Shows Through May 9
Published: 4-17-2014 10:55 am
Wayne State College’s Dale Planetarium will host several shows in connection with the Nebraska Science Festival on April 25-27 and present ongoing shows April 18 through May 9.
Friday, April 25
6:30 p.m.: Tales of the Mayan Skies: This show tells the story of how the ancient Maya interwove astronomy and culture to create a stable society that spanned 2,000 years, from 500 BCE to 1500 CE. Set primarily at Chichén Itzá, one of the last great city states of the Maya classic/post classic period, learn how the Maya became renowned for the alignment of its temples to the Sun and Venus, and for the glyphs representing deities associated with the Sun and Venus. (target audience age 6 years - adult)
7:30 p.m.: Space Opera: A virtual space journey that begins with the discovery of an alien spaceship beneath the Earth. This spaceship then takes off from the Earth and visits the entire solar system and beyond as the spaceship narrates the journey and provides information for each galactic stop. Space Opera is an artistic, philosophic, musical, scientific and cinematic experience all at the same time -- indeed a unique and wonderful experience.
Saturday, April 26
6:30 p.m.: Kaluoka'hina - The Enchanted Reef: a kids cartoon about the young sawfish Jake and his paranoid pal Shorty trying to restore the magic of Kaluoka'hina. Their only lead: the ancient legend that tells them to touch the moon - but how is a fish supposed to touch the moon?
7:30 p.m.: Back to the Moon for Good: Narrated by Tim Allen, this show is about how Google is sponsoring a race to return to the Moon 40 years after the historic Apollo landings, and how the competition will usher in a new era of lunar exploration.
Sunday, April 27
1:30 p.m.: The Lincoln Almanac Trial: This show details how Abraham Lincoln's most famous and controversial case as a trial lawyer was based upon the position of the Moon in the night sky and an almanac that Lincoln produced for the trial. Was Lincoln's almanac factual, or was honest Abe not so honest and fabricated his almanac? We will lay this question to rest, and along the way learn all kinds of great information about the Moon and its orbital characteristics. (target audience age 10 years - adult).
2:30 p.m.: The Boy Scout Astronomy Badge - This comprehensive show covers a significant portion of the requirements for the Boy Scout Astronomy Merit Badge, including: light pollution, why the sky moves as it does, why Polaris doesn’t move, constellations, the Moon and phases, how to find the ecliptic and planets, and describing the Milky Way and our place within it and its place within the universe. This show is approximately 75-minutes in length.
Ongoing shows at the planetarium include "Kaluoka'hina - The Enchanted Reef," which will be shown at 6:30 p.m. April 18, May 2 and May 9, with a Sunday showing at 1:30 p.m. May 4. The second show at 7:30 p.m. will be "Back to the Moon for Good", which will be shown April 18, May 2 and May 9. There will be a Sunday show at 1:30 p.m. April 20.
Also included in each show will be a tour of the current night sky and our spring constellation song.
Please visit www.wsc.edu/planetarium for a detailed schedule, more information about these public shows, and how to book a private group showing. The suggested donation for all shows is $5 for adults and $3 for kids. The Planetarium is located in the basement of the Carhart Science Building. Please enter through the southwest doors.
For more information, please contact Dr. Todd Young at 402-375-7471.