UW Planetarium Plans ‘Dome After Dark’ Event to Kick Off Fall Term

With summer beginning to wane and the fall semester approaching, the University of Wyoming Harry C. Vaughan Planetarium is moving into high gear with 26 different events during August.

 

And one of those events will be “Dome After Dark,” scheduled 9 p.m.-1 a.m. Saturday, Aug. 23, to kick off the fall semester. The cost is $20.

 

“Join us under the stars for an unforgettable night of music, movement and community at Dome After Dark,” says Max Gilbraith, the planetarium’s coordinator. “We’re bringing the heat with two incredible DJs -- Brandon Brown and Josh Haimes -- from Boulder, Colo.”

 

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 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. 1, 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 toward these mysterious and fascinating objects.  

 

-- Friday, Aug. 1, 8:30 p.m.: “Liquid Sky: Indie Folk,” a music-based light show. Enjoy a custom playlist of “out-of-this-world” indie folk 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.

 

-- Saturday, Aug. 2, 2 p.m.: “Two Small Pieces of Glass,” a full-dome movie. Attendees will learn about 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. 2, 7 p.m.: “We Are Stars,” a full-dome movie. Connect life on Earth to the evolution of the universe by following the formation of hydrogen atoms to the synthesis of carbon and the molecules for life. This film is narrated by Andy Serkis.

 

-- Saturday, Aug. 2, 8:30 p.m.: “Liquid Sky: Tranquility,” a music-based light show. Enjoy a custom playlist of “out-of-this-world” tranquil 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. 8, 7 p.m.: “Mars.” The red planet is host to many questions: Did Mars 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 to Earth for decades, and we have more clues every day.

 

-- Friday, Aug. 8, 8:30 p.m.: “Liquid Sky: Synthwave,” a music-based light show. Enjoy a custom playlist of “out-of-this-world” synth music 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.

 

-- Saturday, Aug. 9, 2 p.m.: “The Hot and Energetic Universe,” a full-dome movie. The film investigates the achievements of modern astronomy; the most advanced terrestrial and orbital observatories; the basic principles of electromagnetic radiation; and the natural phenomena related to high-energy astrophysics.

 

-- Saturday, Aug. 9, 7 p.m.: “Dark Biosphere.” Deep beneath the earth’s crust, hundreds of meters or kilometers below the surface -- with no light, no air and very little water, in pores and fissures of hard rock -- scientists have found an enormous biodiversity of micro-organisms that thrive in extreme conditions in an area known as the dark biosphere. This film is narrated by actor Viggo Mortensen.

 

-- Saturday, Aug. 9, 8:30 p.m. “Liquid Sky: Retro Rock,” a music-based light show. Enjoy a custom playlist of “out-of-this-world” retro rock music 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, Aug. 12, 3 p.m.: “Dome Club.” Attendees will learn about immersive technologies for augmented reality, virtual reality, extended reality and full-dome development. Participants are welcome to bring their own projects and technologies to test and demonstrate. The event takes place at the SciDIY Makerspace in the basement of the Physical Sciences Building. For more information, email Jane Crayton at jcrayton@uwyo.edu.

 

-- Tuesday, Aug. 12, 7 p.m.: “Wyoming Skies.” A discussion of the Perseid meteor shower and a screening of the full-dome movie “Losing the Dark.” The meteors are called the Perseids because the point from which they appear to hail lies in the constellation Perseus.

 

“Losing the Dark,” a public service announcement planetarium show, introduces and illustrates some of the issues regarding light pollution and suggests three simple actions people can take to help mitigate it. The film is a collaboration of Loch Ness Productions and DarkSky International.

 

After the planetarium show finishes at 8 p.m., informal telescope observing on the rooftop of the Physical Sciences Building at the STAR Observatory will be available, weather permitting.

 

-- Friday, Aug. 15, 7 p.m.: “Search for Extraterrestrial Life.” Astronomers use telescopes from ground and space to locate signs of life on other planets. Landers, rovers and probes visit the scattered planets and moons of our solar system to hunt for extraterrestrials.

 

-- Friday, Aug. 15, 8:30 p.m.: “Liquid Sky: Funk,” a music-based light show. Enjoy a custom playlist of “out-of-this-world” funk music from top musical 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.

 

-- Saturday, Aug. 16, 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, Aug. 16, 7 p.m.: “The Great Solar System Adventure,” a full-dome movie. Join showman extraordinaire “The Great Schiaparelli” as he takes the audience on a death-defying space-time adventure within his wondrous observatorium. From the sun-scorched surface of Mercury to the icy expanses of Pluto and beyond, the audience will be subjected to the myriad dangers and wonders of our solar system.

 

-- Saturday, Aug. 16, 8:30 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 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, Aug. 22, 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? A tour from the surface of the sun out to the magnetic poles of the solar system will help attendees learn the answers.

 

-- Friday, Aug. 22, 8:30 p.m.: “Liquid Sky: Women Who Rock,” a music-based light show. Enjoy a custom playlist of “out-of-this-world” music from top female artists in genres of rock, indie, pop, electronic and more 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.

 

-- Saturday, Aug. 23, 9 p.m.-1 a.m.: “Dome After Dark,” a night of movement, music and community. Brandon Brown and Josh Haimes, both Boulder, Colo.-based DJs, will head the evening’s entertainment. Local artists include OsVinci, Space Raven, Cypher X and Jane daPain. Cost is $20. The event is open to students 18 and up. An open bar is available to those 21 and up.

 

-- Tuesday, Aug. 26, 3 p.m.: “Dome Club.” Attendees will learn about immersive technologies for augmented reality, virtual reality, extended reality and full-dome development. Participants are welcome to bring their own projects and technologies to test and demonstrate. The event takes place at the SciDIY Makerspace in the basement of the Physical Sciences Building. For more information, email Crayton at jcrayton@uwyo.edu.

 

-- Tuesday, Aug. 26, 7 p.m.: “Wyoming Skies: Mars and Moon Conjunction” and a screening of the full-dome movie “Losing the Dark.” The program provides an exploration of the stars, constellations, planets, meteor showers and other celestial phenomena visible from Wyoming for the season.

 

“Losing the Dark,” a public service announcement planetarium show, introduces and illustrates some of the issues regarding light pollution and suggests three simple actions people can take to help mitigate it. The film is a collaboration of Loch Ness Productions and DarkSky International.

 

After the planetarium show finishes at 8 p.m., informal telescope observing on the rooftop of the Physical Sciences Building at the STAR Observatory will be available, weather permitting.

 

-- Friday, Aug. 29, 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.

 

-- Friday, Aug. 29, 8:30 p.m.: “Liquid Sky: Pop,” a music-based light show. Enjoy a custom playlist of “out-of-this-world” pop music from various 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.

 

-- Saturday, Aug. 30, 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, Aug. 30, 7 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, Aug. 30, 8:30 p.m.: “Liquid Sky: Space Rock,” a music-based light show. Enjoy a custom playlist of “out-of-this-world” space rock music from various 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.

 

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