Spring 2013: Experience earthquakes, life inside a living star and more at the UAA Planetarium

The UAA Planetarium and Visualization Theatre hosts two shows every Friday night (except holidays) during the fall and spring semesters. The full-dome theater offers viewers an immersive experience, with each show delving into a scientific topic. Most shows are under 30 minutes and followed by a live lecture from distinguished faculty. Tickets for all planetarium shows, including the January and February ones below, are available at UAATix.com. The planetarium is located in ConocoPhillips Integrated Science Building, Room 220.

For more information, including how to become a UAA Planetarium member, please visit planetarium.uaa.alaska.edu.

Friday, Jan. 17 6:30-7:30 p.m. and 8-9 p.m. - "River of Bears" premiere Come to Alaska to see the largest gathering of bears in the world! Shot in stunning 4K full-dome video, "River of Bears" takes you to the legendary McNeil River State Game Sanctuary, where more than 100 brown bears congregate each summer to fish, mate and prepare for the harsh Alaska winter. Immerse yourself in this wild setting while learning from experts how the bears navigate one another with remarkable intelligence in order to survive. You will never see these iconic animals the same way again.

Friday, Jan. 24 6:30-7:30 p.m. - "Nanocam: A Trip into Biodiversity" with Caroline Wilson "Nanocam," the show that shrinks you down to the size of an insect and flies you through the eye of a needle, is a microscopic joyride into the five kingdoms of life. Using the latest 3-D animation technology and based on real electron microscope imagery, this show offers a unique, motivating, didactic and funny approach to biology never seen before. "Nanocam: A trip into biodiversity" is one hour in length, featuring a 28-minute show followed by a presentation on the biological uses of electron microscopes.

8-9 p.m. - "Natural Selection" with Catherine Pongratz In Victorian times, many physical phenomena had already been discovered and described by natural laws, but life's most eloquent mechanism was still unknown. Join the young Charles Darwin on an adventurous voyage of exploration circumnavigating the world with the H.M.S. Beagle. Hear Darwin himself reveal the simple and beautiful mechanism that explains the evolution of all life on Earth: natural selection.

Friday, Jan. 31 6:30-7:30 p.m. - "Earthquake" with Kris Crossen A sweeping geological journey, "Earthquake" explores the forces that transform the surface of our planet. After a stunning flight over the San Andreas Fault, audiences travel back in time to experience San Francisco's infamous 1906 earthquake. Data-driven visualizations illustrate Earth's story, revealing how subtle motions and sudden ruptures have shaped our planet over eons and how geological activity influences the course of human history. Finally, see how scientists and engineers help society prepare for a safer future.

8-9 p.m. - "River of Bears" with Drew Hamilton, Alaska Department of Fish & Game Come to Alaska to see the largest gathering of bears in the world! Shot in stunning 4K full-dome video, "River of Bears" takes you to the legendary McNeil River State Game Sanctuary, where more than 100 brown bears congregate each summer to fish, mate and prepare for the harsh Alaska winter. Immerse yourself in this wild setting while learning from experts how the bears navigate one another with remarkable intelligence in order to survive. You will never see these iconic animals the same way again.

Friday, Feb. 14 6:30-7:30 p.m. - "The New Mars" with guest speaker Emily Stewart Lakdawalla Was Mars ever warm and wet? Or always cold and dry? Was there Martian life? Dozens of orbiters, landers and rovers have been sent to Mars to try and answer these questions. Thanks to a recent renaissance in Mars exploration, we now have a new picture of Mars as a complex world with a rich history. In some places, at some times, Earth-like life could have thrived there. Emily Lakdawalla will tell Mars' story, explain the science and exhibit stunning photos of the planet next door.

Emily Lakdawalla is a passionate advocate for the exploration of all of the worlds of our solar system. Through blogs, podcasts, print articles and any other medium she can put her hand to, Emily shares the adventure of space exploration with the world.  Visit The Planetary Society website for more information.

8-9 p.m. - "Stars of the Alaskan Sky" Have you ever looked up at the night sky and wondered what you were seeing? What is that bright object on the horizon? Where is the Big Dipper? In a special all-live presentation, Planetarium Director Erin Hicks will take you on a tour of the night sky and show you what you can see during our long winter nights. You'll learn what constellations and planets are visible, as well as how to look for the moon. Best of all, it will be a balmy 68 degrees inside the planetarium.

Friday, Feb. 21 6:30-7:30 p.m. - "River of Bears" with with Robin Dublin, Alaska Department of Fish & Game Come to Alaska to see the largest gathering of bears in the world! Shot in stunning 4K full-dome video, "River of Bears" takes you to the legendary McNeil River State Game Sanctuary, where more than 100 brown bears congregate each summer to fish, mate and prepare for the harsh Alaska winter. Immerse yourself in this wild setting while learning from experts how the bears navigate one another with remarkable intelligence in order to survive. You will never see these iconic animals the same way again.

8-9 p.m. - "Scales of the Universe" with Travis Rector How big is the universe? Does it go on forever? What is the most distant object we can see? We'll answer all of these questions and more in a special all-live presentation. Starting from the Earth, we'll fly out of our solar system, beyond our galaxy the Milky Way and to the edge of the universe! "Scales of the Universe" is one hour in length, consisting of a live lecture and full-dome presentation by UAA astronomer Travis Rector.

Friday, Feb. 28 6:30-7:30 p.m. - "Earthquake" with Kris Crossen A sweeping geological journey, "Earthquake" explores the forces that transform the surface of our planet. After a stunning flight over the San Andreas Fault, audiences travel back in time to experience San Francisco's infamous 1906 earthquake. Data-driven visualizations illustrate Earth's story, revealing how subtle motions and sudden ruptures have shaped our planet over eons and how geological activity influences the course of human history. Finally, see how scientists and engineers help society prepare for a safer future.

8-9 p.m. - TBA

From the Neolithic sky watchers of Europe to the solar observatories and blood sacrifice of Mesoamerica to the sun gods of the Egyptians and Greeks to the dawning of Aristotelian science, "The Heart of the Sun" is a breathtaking, high-resolution motion picture that reveals how the development of our whole cosmology has been informed by our struggle with this oldest of mysteries.

January Archive