UW Planetariums Tuesday Programs Temporarily Moving to Saturdays

The University of Wyoming Harry C. Vaughan Planetarium normally hosts its educational programming Tuesday nights. However, those programs are temporarily moving to Saturday evening’s lineup for June, and possibly for the summer.

“This coming month will feature a new rotation of live talks, films and music shows at the Vaughan Planetarium,” says Max Gilbraith, the planetarium’s coordinator. “We haven’t done some of the programs since last summer, so check out these exciting seasonal shows. We are temporarily moving our Tuesday programs to Saturday evenings.”

To get tickets or receive more information about programs, email planetarium@uwyo.edu or leave a voicemail and a call-back phone number at (307) 766-6506. Tickets are $5 for the public and $3 for students, senior citizens, veterans, first responders and those under 18. Seating is free for children under 5.

Reservations or pre-purchase is not required, and walk-ins are welcome. Tickets can be purchased online with a credit card, reserved by email or voicemail, or purchased at the start of the show. Cash or check is accepted at the door. The planetarium, which seats 58, is in the basement of the Physical Sciences Building. Seating is on a first-come, first-served basis outside of designated ADA/wheelchair seating.

To pay for tickets with a credit card, go to https://www.uwyo.edu/uwplanetarium/ticket.aspx. For a group larger than six, email the planetarium for a private show at https://uwyo.sjc1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_bKuqIynOn7gFK2F. Tickets for private shows are the same as the public programs.

A film and special live talk for audiences will be featured each week. All programs are approximately an hour in length. As time allows, a portion of the show also may focus on a live sky tour or supporting information related to the film’s topic.

The June schedule is:

-- Friday, June 3, 8 p.m.: “Solar System Vacation.” This program will tour the most exciting and relaxing locations around the solar system. See giant ice geysers, lava lakes and aurorae; or watch the sunset on methane lakes on the bizarre moons and planets of the sun.

-- Saturday, June 4, 2 p.m.: “From Earth to the Universe,” a full-dome movie. This journey of celestial discovery explores the theories of the ancient Greek astronomers to today’s grandest telescopes.

-- Saturday, June 4, 8 p.m.: “Wyoming Skies.” The program provides an exploration of the stars, constellations, planets, meteor showers and other celestial phenomena visible from Wyoming for the season.

-- Friday, June 10, 8 p.m.: “Frozen Worlds.” This program explores the poles of Earth; Mars; the moons of Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune; and the minor planet Pluto.

-- Saturday, June 11, 2 p.m.: “The Sun: Our Living Star,” a full-dome movie. The sun consumes 600 million tons of hydrogen each second and is 500 times as massive as all of the planets combined. Viewers will discover the secrets of the sun and experience never-before-seen images of its violent surface in immersive full-dome format.

-- Saturday, June 11, 8 p.m.: “Liquid Sky: Women Who Rock,” a music-based light show. The program will feature music from artists such as Cyndi Lauper, The Cranberries, Florence and the Machine, Mitski, Japanese Breakfast and more in 5.1 surround sound. The 4K-resolution planetarium sky will become a canvas of color, patterns and movement with cutting-edge music visualization software and live VJ talent.

-- Friday, June 17, 8 p.m.: “Great American Eclipse of 2017.” Relive and celebrate the eclipse of 2017 that passed through Wyoming. The program will share full-dome images of the eclipse captured from the ground and air and explore the science of eclipses.

 -- Saturday, June 18, 2 p.m.: “Two Small Pieces of Glass: The Amazing Telescope,” a full-dome movie. Learn the history of the telescope, from Galileo’s modifications to a child’s spyglass -- using two small pieces of glass -- to the launch of the NASA/European Space Agency Hubble Space Telescope and the future of astronomy.

-- Saturday, June 18, 8 p.m.: “Wyoming Skies.” The program provides an exploration of the stars, constellations, planets, meteor showers and other celestial phenomena visible from Wyoming for the season.

-- Friday, June 24, 8 p.m.: “Black Holes.” Are black holes nature’s mistake or portals to the unknown? Physics allows speculation about the nature of these bizarre structures, but astronomers are taking a closer look at these mysterious and fascinating objects.

-- Saturday, June 25, 2 p.m.: “The Dark Matter Mystery: Exploring a Cosmic Secret,” a full-dome movie. What keeps galaxies together? What are the building blocks of the universe? What makes the universe look the way it looks today? Approximately one-quarter of the universe is filled with a mysterious glue: dark matter.

-- Saturday, June 25, 8 p.m.: “Liquid Sky: Electronica,” a music-based light show. The program will feature a custom playlist of today’s top artists in 5.1 surround sound. The 4K-resolution planetarium sky will become a canvas of color, patterns and movement with cutting-edge music visualization software and live VJ talent.

For more detailed descriptions of these programs, go to www.uwyo.edu/physics/planetarium/schedule.html.