December 2015: UAA Planetarium schedule

The UAA Planetarium and Visualization Theater (located in ConocoPhillips Integrated Science Building, Room 220) is open to the public for Friday show nights. Each show usually features an immersive, full-dome film followed by a lecture and Q-and-A session with a scientist. See the complete fall schedule below. Tickets are available now at UAATix.com.

Dec. 11 6:30 p.m. - "Two Small Pieces of Glass" with Planetarium Manager Omega Smith Engaging and appealing to audiences of all ages, "Two Small Pieces of Glass" traces the history of the telescope from Galileo's modifications to a child's spyglass, using two small pieces of glass, to the launch of NASA's Hubble Space Telescope and the future of astronomy. It explores the wonder and discovery made by astronomers throughout the last 400 years.

While looking through the astronomer's telescope, the students, along with the planetarium audience, explore the Galilean Moons, Saturn's rings and spiral structure of galaxies. During their conversation with the astronomer, they also learn about the discoveries of Galileo, Huygens, Newton, Hubble and many others.

8 p.m. - "Stars of the Alaska Sky: Winter" with Planetarium Manager Omega Smith Have you ever looked up at the night sky and wondered what you were seeing? What is that bright object on the horizon? And where is the Big Dipper? In a special all-live presentation, we'll take you on a tour of the night sky and show you what you can see during our long winter nights. You'll learn about what constellations are visible, how to look for the moon, and what planets you can see. Best of all, it will be a balmy 68 degrees inside the planetarium.

Dec. 18 6:30 p.m. - "Back to the Moon For Good" with Planetarium Manager Omega Smith In case you haven't heard, the moon is trending again... and in a big way. Unlike the glory days of the 1960s and '70s, our big white space neighbor is enjoying the attention of a new generation of lunar explorers. Only this time, they're going back to the moon for good.

Immerse yourself in a race to return to the moon 40 years after the historic Apollo landings. See how a competition among privately funded international teams is ushering in a new era of lunar exploration. Learn about the moon's resources and discover what humanity's future on the moon might hold. Narrated by Tim Allen, :Back To The Moon For Good" presents the Google Lunar XPRIZE and the personal stories of competition and collaboration it inspires.

8 p.m. - "Tilted Solstice" with Planetarium Manager Omega Smith Enjoy an all-live presentation on winter solstice and our tilted little world. This show will go over the history, mythology and astronomy behind the shortest day of the year.  What does it mean for us on Earth? What's it like on other planets?

December Archive