UW Planetarium Promotes Special Valentine’s Day Program During February

Love will be in the air at the University of Wyoming Harry C. Vaughan Planetarium during February.

“The highlight of the schedule is our popular ‘Hearts in the Sky’ program on Valentine's Day, for which we will consider adding additional showings should the 7 p.m. show sell out,” says Max Gilbraith, the planetarium’s coordinator.

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 February schedule is:

-- Saturday, Feb. 1, 2 p.m.: “Out There: Extrasolar Worlds,” a full-dome movie. This film features the primitive science fiction of early civilizations; future space missions that will observe the universe in greater-than-ever detail; and the opportunity to travel to the surfaces and oceans of moons in our solar system.

-- Saturday, Feb. 1, 7 p.m.: “Liquid Sky: Pop,” a music-based light show. Enjoy a custom playlist of “out-of-this-world” pop music from top artists in 5.1 surround sound. The 4K resolution planetarium sky melts and becomes a canvas of color, patterns and movement with cutting-edge music visualization software and live VJ talent.

-- Tuesday, Feb. 4, 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, Feb. 7, 7 p.m.: “Voyagers.” This program -- combining stunning immersive visuals with live musical theater -- presents a grand tour of the solar system. This is a planetarium-specific musical created in collaboration with Fiske Planetarium. This performance is made possible through a grant from the Rocky Mountain Power Foundation.

-- Saturday, Feb. 8, 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, Feb. 8, 7 p.m.: “Liquid Sky: Metal,’” a music-based light show. Enjoy a custom playlist of “out-of-this-world” metal music from top artists in 5.1 surround sound. The 4K resolution planetarium sky melts and becomes a canvas of color, patterns and movement with cutting-edge music visualization software and live VJ talent.

-- Friday, Feb. 14, 7 p.m.: “Hearts in the Sky.” This Valentine’s Day program will explore love. The night sky is rich in mythology relating the human condition to the stars. Hear the epic star myths of romance and betrayal, as well as the science about those far-away objects those myths describe.

-- Saturday, Feb. 15, 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, Feb. 15, 7 p.m.: “Liquid Sky: Rhythm and Blues,” a music-based light show. Enjoy a custom playlist of “out-of-this-world” rhythm and blues music from top artists in 5.1 surround sound. The holiday music playlist is family friendly. The 4K resolution planetarium sky melts and becomes a canvas of color, patterns and movement with cutting-edge music visualization software and live VJ talent.

-- Tuesday, Feb. 18, 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, Feb. 21, 7 p.m.: “Black Holes.” Are black holes nature's mistake or portals to the unknown? Physics can let us speculate about the nature of these bizarre structures, but astronomers are turning an improving eye towards these mysterious and fascinating objects.

-- Saturday, Feb. 22, 2 p.m.: “One Sky,” a full-dome series of short films. Each short film represents the perspective of a different culture or Indigenous society from around the globe. Each film stands alone as a short story, or in combination, as a longer narrative organized around themes of “finding patterns” and developing tools. Short films are “The Forge of Artemis,” “Thunderbird,” “Jai Singh’s Dream,” “Celestial Canoe,” “The Samurai and Stars” and “Wayfinders.”

-- Saturday, Feb. 22, 7 p.m.: “Liquid Sky: Folk,” a music-based light show. Enjoy a custom playlist of “out-of-this-world” folk music from top artists in 5.1 surround sound. The 4K resolution planetarium sky melts and becomes a canvas of color, patterns and movement with cutting-edge music visualization software and live VJ talent.

-- Friday, Feb. 28, 7 p.m.: “James Webb Space Telescope.” This program will examine the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), a tennis court-sized observatory a million miles from Earth that has revealed the mysteries of the universe like never before. This program will detail the exciting science objectives; the knuckle-biting engineering feats; and attendees can enjoy the spectacular images the JWST delivered so far.

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