‘Dome After Dark’ Event to Highlight UW Planetarium Schedule During October

Another “Dome After Dark” event will be highlighted at the University of Wyoming Harry C. Vaughan Planetarium next month.

 

“Lose yourself in a 360-degree universe of music, lasers and creative play," says Max Gilbraith, the planetarium's director, of the Oct. 4 “Dome After Dark” event titled “Dance and Create.” "The UW Planetarium dome becomes a living canvas -- part dance floor, part immersive art installation, with pop-up makerspace activities, interactive visuals and plenty of space to create and connect.”

 

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 October schedule is:

 

-- Thursday, Oct. 2, 4-7 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.

 

-- Friday, Oct. 3, 7 p.m.: “Dawn of the Space Age” and “Solar System Vacation.” “Dawn of the Space Age” explores the launch of the first artificial satellite, Sputnik, the magnificent lunar landings and privately operated space flights.

 

“Solar System Vacation” will provide a tour of the most exciting and relaxing locations around the solar system. See giant ice geysers, lava lakes and aurorae; or watch the sunset on methane lakes on the bizarre moons and planets of the sun.

 

-- Friday, Oct. 3, 8:30 p.m.: “Liquid Sky: K-Pop,” a music-based light show. Enjoy a custom playlist of “out-of-this-world” K-Pop 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.

 

-- Saturday, Oct. 4, 9 p.m.-1 a.m.: A “Dome After Dark” event, titled “Dance and Create,” is a night of movement, music and community. Andrew Brislin, of Boulder, Colo., performing as Lambert Visuals, and DJ Shotty Otter, of Winter Park, Colo., will headline the evening’s entertainment. Local artists include Solo Loop, Space Raven 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.

 

-- Thursday, Oct. 9, 4-7 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.

 

-- Friday, Oct. 10, 7 p.m.: “Cosmic Mashups: Gravity, Galaxies and Supermassive Black Holes,” a full-dome movie, and the program “James Webb Space Telescope.” Supermassive black holes are found in most galaxies, and scientists are beginning to uncover how the merging of galaxies activates galactic centers. This film is produced by Fiske Planetarium and a University of Colorado-Boulder professor and a former graduate student through a National Science Foundation grant. 

 

The program “James Webb Space Telescope” looks at the next-generation space telescope launched in 2021. The epic mission to send a tennis court-sized observatory past the moon will reveal the mysteries of the universe like never before. This program will detail the exciting science objectives and the knuckle-biting engineering feats that have gone into our next eyes in the sky.

 

-- Friday, Oct. 10, 8:30 p.m.: “Liquid Sky: Tranquility,” a music-based light show. Enjoy a custom playlist of “out-of-this-world” tranquil 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, Oct. 11: The planetarium will be closed due to the UW home football game against San Jose State University.

 

-- Tuesday, Oct. 14, 7 p.m.: “Wyoming Skies: Losing the Dark and Orionid Meteors.” The Orionids meteor shower, often shortened to the Orionids, is one of two meteor showers associated with Halley’s Comet. The Orionids are so-called because the point they appear to come from, called the radiant, lies in the constellation Orion, but they can be seen over a large area of the sky. The Orionids are an annual meteor shower that last approximately one week in late October. In some years, meteors may occur at rates of 50–70 per hour.

 

“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.

 

-- Thursday, Oct. 16, 4-7 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.

 

-- Friday, Oct. 17: The Wyoming Infrared Observatory will host its open house. For reservations, email physics@uwyo.edu.

 

-- Saturday, Oct. 18, 2 p.m.: “We Are Stars” and “The Great Solar System Adventure,” two full-dome movies. “We Are Stars” connects 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.

 

During “The Great Solar System Adventure,” 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.

 

-- Thursday, Oct. 23, 4-7 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.

 

-- Friday, Oct. 24, 7 p.m.: “Leftovers! Asteroids, Comets, Meteors and Rings.” From a young age, we learn about the eight major planets. But what about everything else in the solar system, including bright meteor streaks in the sky, fireballs, comet tails and craters? Space missions have just begun exploring the asteroid Bennu and comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko. What is NASA doing to learn about and defend Earth from these celestial curiosities?

 

-- Friday, Oct. 24, 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, Oct. 25: The planetarium will be closed due to the UW home football game against Colorado State University.

 

-- Tuesday, Oct. 28, 7 p.m.: “Wyoming Skies: Losing the Dark and Mercury at Greatest Elongation.” Mercury's greatest elongation is when it reaches its widest apparent separation from the sun in Earth’s sky, making it easiest to see in either the morning or evening twilight. Because Mercury orbits very close to the sun, it never appears very far from it, and its greatest elongations happen about six or seven times a year. These events occur roughly every four months, as Mercury completes its quick 88-day orbit around the sun. Mercury will reach its greatest elongation east from the sun making it best viewed in the evening of Oct. 29.

 

“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.

 

-- Thursday, Oct. 30, 4-7 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.

 

-- Friday, Oct. 31, 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.

 

-- Friday, Oct. 31, 8:30 p.m. “Liquid Sky: Spooky Tunes,” a music-based light show. Enjoy a custom playlist of “out-of-this-world” spooky Halloween-themed 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.

 

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