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Institutional Communications
Bureau of Mines Building, Room 137
Laramie, WY 82071
Phone: (307) 766-2929
Email: cbaldwin@uwyo.edu
Published July 27, 2022
A look at the NASA program Artemis and a five-year anniversary review of the eclipse of 2017 will highlight the schedule at the University of Wyoming Harry C. Vaughan Planetarium during August.
“We’re excited to welcome students to UW and hope everyone has a chance to check out our programs,” says Max Gilbraith, the planetarium’s coordinator. “The NASA program Artemis -- to return humans to the moon -- is slated to launch sometime this August, so our opening weekend will take a look at lunar exploration in our live talk and in film. The Great American Eclipse of 2017 will be nearly five years to the day, so come relive the fantastic experience Aug. 19.”
The planetarium’s summer schedule will continue next month with evening programs scheduled at 8 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays, and films at 2 p.m. Saturdays.
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 August schedule is:
-- Friday, Aug. 5, 8 p.m.: “Apollo to Artemis.” See the history of lunar exploration and learn about the newest efforts to get humanity back to the moon. Artemis 1 is preparing for a summer launch of the Orion capsule, without a crew, on a 25-day journey to the moon and back.
-- Saturday, Aug. 6, 2 p.m.: “Back to the Moon for Good,” a full-dome movie. This film opens with the first era of space exploration in the late 1960s and early 1970s. Viewers will learn what that era of landers and orbiters taught the world about the moon.
-- Saturday, Aug. 6, 8 p.m.: “Liquid Sky: Women Who Rock,” a music-based light show. The program will feature a custom playlist of 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, Aug. 12, 8 p.m.: “Dust, Light, Dust.” This program explores the science behind the formation of stars; the various forms they take; and the stellar graveyard, including white dwarfs, neutron stars and black holes.
-- Saturday, Aug. 13, 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, Aug. 13, 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, Aug. 19, 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, Aug. 20, 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, Aug. 20, 8 p.m.: “Liquid Sky: Pop,” a music-based light show. The program will feature a custom playlist of music from 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.
-- Friday, Aug. 26, 8 p.m.: “Aurorae: Dancing Lights.” The program will discuss what causes the Aurora Borealis in the sky, where it occurs and if other planets have aurorae.
-- Saturday, Aug. 27, 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, Aug. 27, 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.
For more detailed descriptions of these programs, go to www.uwyo.edu/physics/planetarium/schedule.html.
Contact Us
Institutional Communications
Bureau of Mines Building, Room 137
Laramie, WY 82071
Phone: (307) 766-2929
Email: cbaldwin@uwyo.edu