Familiar Programs Focus of UW Planetarium Schedule During May

Multiple programs and films about the constellations, galaxies and stars will be the focus at the University of Wyoming Harry C. Vaughan Planetarium during May.

“We’re excited and proud of our Pokes graduating this spring,” says Max Gilbraith, the planetarium’s coordinator. “For those visiting our planetarium during their stay in Laramie, we have a host of shows for the month of May.”

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 May schedule is:

-- Thursday, May 2, 4-7 p.m.: “Sandbox Discovery.” Learn about immersive technologies for augmented reality, virtual reality, extended reality and full-dome development. All are welcome to bring their own projects and technologies to test and demo. This activity takes place at the SciDIY Makerspace in the basement of the Physical Sciences Building. For more information, email Jane Crayton at jcrayton@uwyo.edu.

-- Friday, May 3, 7 p.m.: “Yellowstone to Enceladus.” This program explores and compares the volcanic power of the geysers under Yellowstone National Park to ice plumes beneath the surface of a moon of Saturn.

-- Saturday, May 4, 2 p.m.: “From Earth to the Universe,” a full-dome movie. This film takes the audience out to the colorful birthplaces and burial grounds of stars and still farther out beyond the Milky Way to the unimaginable immensity of myriad galaxies.

-- Saturday, May 4, 7 p.m.: “Liquid Sky: Women Who Rock,” a music-based light show. Enjoy a custom playlist of “out-of-this-world” music from top artists in genres of rock, indie, pop, electronic 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.

-- Thursday, May 9, 4-7 p.m.: “Sandbox Discovery.” Learn about immersive technologies for augmented reality, virtual reality, extended reality and full-dome development. All are welcome to bring their own projects and technologies to test and demo. This activity takes place at the SciDIY Makerspace in the basement of the Physical Sciences Building. For more information, email Jane Crayton at jcrayton@uwyo.edu.

-- Friday, May 10, 7 p.m.: “Stellar Graveyard.” 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, May 11, 2 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, May 11, 7 p.m.: “Liquid Sky: EDM,” a music-based light show. Enjoy a custom playlist of “out-of-this world” music from top artists in electronic dance 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, May 14, 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.

-- Thursday, May 16, 4-7 p.m.: “Sandbox Discovery.” Learn about immersive technologies for augmented reality, virtual reality, extended reality and full-dome development. All are welcome to bring their own projects and technologies to test and demo. This activity takes place at the SciDIY Makerspace in the basement of the Physical Sciences Building. For more information, email Jane Crayton at jcrayton@uwyo.edu.

-- Friday, May 17, 7 p.m.: “Mars.” The Red Planet is host to many questions: Did it used to be like Earth? Did it once harbor life? Could it still support life today? And, is it a future home for humans? Landers, rovers, probes and satellites have returned data for decades, and they provide more clues every day.

-- Saturday, May 18, 2 p.m.: “Seeing!,” a full-dome movie. The film follows the journey of a single photon as it is produced in a distant star, before traveling across the vast expanse of space to land on someone’s retina. This film is narrated by Neil deGrasse Tyson.

-- Saturday, May 18, 7 p.m.: “Liquid Sky: R&B,” a music-based light show. Enjoy a custom playlist of “out-of-this-world” music from R&B 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.

-- Thursday, May 23, 4-7 p.m.: “Sandbox Discovery.” Learn about immersive technologies for augmented reality, virtual reality, extended reality and full-dome development. All are welcome to bring their own projects and technologies to test and demo. This activity takes place at the SciDIY Makerspace in the basement of the Physical Sciences Building. For more information, email Jane Crayton at jcrayton@uwyo.edu.

-- Friday-Monday, May 24-27: The planetarium will be closed for the Memorial Day weekend.

-- Tuesday, May 28, 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.

-- Thursday, May 30, 4-7 p.m.: “Sandbox Discovery.” Learn about immersive technologies for augmented reality, virtual reality, extended reality and full-dome development. All are welcome to bring their own projects and technologies to test and demo. This activity takes place at the SciDIY Makerspace in the basement of the Physical Sciences Building. For more information, email Jane Crayton at jcrayton@uwyo.edu.

-- Friday, May 31, 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.

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