Upcoming Solar Eclipse Focus of UW Planetarium Schedule During April

Multiple programs about the April 8 solar eclipse highlight programming at the University of Wyoming Harry C. Vaughan Planetarium next month.

“We plan to host a solar eclipse observing party on Prexy’s Pasture April 8 from 11:30 a.m.-2 p.m. during the eclipse,” says Max Gilbraith, the planetarium’s coordinator. “Folks are encouraged to bring camp chairs and blankets. We will provide eclipse glasses and solar telescopes.”

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 or online tickets, and $3 for students, senior citizens, veterans, first responders and those under 18. Seating is free for children under 5. Bulk tickets/gift cards are available at $2 each when 10 or more tickets are purchased.

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 64, 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 April schedule is:

-- Tuesday, April 2, 7 p.m.: “Wyoming Skies.” This special solar eclipse show provides an exploration of the stars, constellations, planets, meteor showers and other celestial phenomena visible from Wyoming for the season.

-- Friday, April 5, 7 p.m. “Great American Eclipse.” 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, April 6, 2 p.m.: “Dawn of the Space Age,” a full-dome movie. The program explores the launch of the first artificial satellite, Sputnik, the magnificent lunar landings and privately operated space flights.

-- Saturday, April 6, 7 p.m.: “Liquid Sky: Taylor Swift,” a music-based light show. Enjoy a custom playlist of music from all eras of Taylor Swift 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.

-- Monday, April 8, 11:30 a.m.-2 p.m.: “Solar Eclipse Observing on Prexy’s Pasture.” For those not traveling to see a total eclipse in the southern part of the continent -- weather permitting -- Laramie will receive a partial eclipse during the afternoon.

-- Friday, April 12, 7 p.m.: “5,000 Eyes: Mapping the Universe With DESI,” a full-dome movie. The Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument (DESI) is creating the most detailed map of our nearby universe. Installed on the Nicholas U. Mayall Telescope at Kitt Peak National Observatory in southern Arizona, DESI’s 5,000 independently operated robots can measure the light from thousands of galaxies at once. Explore the science, instrument and people behind this global endeavor.

-- Saturday, April 13, 2 p.m.: “Forward! To the Moon,” a full-dome movie. Narrator Kari Byron, from “Crash Test World” and “MythBusters,” takes viewers on a journey beyond Earth toward a sustainable future in space. NASA’s 21st century Artemis program is the next step in the mission to explore the universe and land the first woman and person of color on the moon. This film is produced by Fiske Planetarium in collaboration with Tend Studio.

-- Saturday, April 13, 7 p.m.: “Liquid Sky: Psychedelic Indie Rock.” Enjoy a custom playlist of indie rock music 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.

-- Tuesday, April 16, 7 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, April 19, 7 p.m.: “Earth Day.” Learn about glaciers, atmospheric science, meteorology, extreme weather events, anthropogenic change and climate history.

-- Saturday, April 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.

-- Saturday, April 20, 7 p.m.: “Liquid Sky: Pink Floyd’s ‘The Dark Side of the Moon.’” Enjoy the classic album 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, April 26, 7 p.m.: “Aurorae: Dancing Lights.” For millennia, our ancestors looked in awe at the “dawn in the North,” better known as the Aurora Borealis. What causes this display in the sky? Where does it occur? Do other planets have aurorae? Take a tour from the surface of the sun out to the magnetic poles of the solar system to find out.

-- Saturday, April 27, 2 p.m.: “Dark Matter Mystery,” a full-dome movie. Dark matter is a theoretical form of invisible mass, which is believed to be present in galaxies but has never been seen or detected. This film takes the audience on the biggest quest of contemporary astrophysics: solving the dark matter mystery.

-- Saturday, April 27, 7 p.m.: “Cowboy Soundbox.” Enjoy live immersive and experimental full-dome visual and audio performances.

-- Tuesday, April 30, 7 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.