UW Planetarium Offers Morning Program During Spring Break Week

For parents home with their children over spring break looking for something to do next week, the University of Wyoming Harry C. Vaughan Planetarium is offering a special morning program about telescopes.

“Two Small Pieces of Glass,” a full-dome movie, will be screened Wednesday, March 20, at 11 a.m. The program shares the way telescope development has helped the public understand its place in space.

Samantha Ogden, the planetarium’s coordinator, says this is the first time the planetarium has hosted a morning show during the week.

“Similar to our Saturday morning shows, this will be geared toward a younger audience with a free activity offered at the end,” Ogden says. “We will show the full-dome movie ‘Two Small Pieces of Glass,’ which is all about telescopes and the amazing things astronomers can see with them. After the show, we will put together Galilean telescopes that can be decorated and taken home for the audience to stargaze on clear nights.”

Tickets are $4 for adults, $3 for kids, and children 5 and under are admitted free. Tickets can be purchased at the Department of Physics and Astronomy main office, located in Room 204 of the Physical Sciences Building, Monday through Thursday, from 8 a.m.-4:30 p.m., and Friday from 8 a.m.-noon. Tickets also can be purchased by going online at www.wyomingspacegrant.org/planetarium/shows/ and clicking on “Purchase tickets online with a credit card.” Doors open 20 minutes before the show, where tickets will be sold if available. The planetarium, which seats 58, is located in the basement of the Physical Sciences Building.