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Gary E. Sampson Planetarium Public Show series for the 2011 - 2012 school year is as follows. All shows start at 7:00 PM and last approximately 1 hour, unless otherwise noted.
Reservations are not required, but are recommended, as it is not unusual for all of the seats to be reserved in advance. Guests without reservations will be seated on a first-come, first-served basis. Please call 773-3390 to reserve your seats. Be prepared to leave a message including the date you with to attend, you last name, with spelling, the number in your party, and a phone number where you can be reached if there is a problem with your reservation request. Calls are only returned if there is a problem, so if you don't hear from me, your reservation is ok.
All shows include a tour of the current night sky.
The planetarium show will be canceled in the event of school closing due to inclement weather.
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October
Tuesday the 4th
Tuesday the 11th
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BAD Astronomy: Were the Apollo visits to the Moon actually a hoax? Have aliens landed on Earth? Can you tell your future by the stars? Prepare to debunk and tackle pseduoscience head-on with the planetarium show Bad Astronomy: Myths and Misconceptions. Based on the popular book and website of the same name, Bad Astronomy offers a unique and fun approach to learning about the cosmos. Join the "Bad Astronomer" Phil Plait as he takes a critical look at popular myths and misconceptions to show audiences how science can be used to evaluate questionable claims. |
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November
Wednesday the 2nd
Thursday the 10th
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The Planets - Take a tour of the solar system, from the Sun to beyond the Kuiper Belt. Tour the Fall sky, including stars that have exoplanets. Narrated by Kate Mulgrew (Captain Janeway from Star Trek). |
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December
Wednesday the 14th
Friday the 16th
Tuesday the 20th
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'Tis the Season - the traditional holiday program, looking at solstice celebrations from throughout history and around the world. The Christmas Story is extensively featured, along with possible astronomical explanations for the Christmas Star. |
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February
Wednesday the 1st
Wednesday the 8th
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Hubble Vision: the audience favorite featuring spectacular images taken by the Hubble Space telescope, and some of the astronomy that has been learned from these images. |
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March
Wednesday the 7th
Tuesday the 13th
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New Horizons: Mission to Pluto Learn about the New Horizons mission to Pluto and beyond, and the Kuiper Belt region of the solar system. |
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April
Tuesday the 3rd
Thursday the 5th
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Dark Matter Learn more about this mysterious, little understood material that makes up most of the matter in the universe. |
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May
Wednesday the 2nd
Wednesday the 9th
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Using Planispheres to Find Your Way Around the Summer Sky: Guests will learn how to use star maps and planispheres to find their own way around the night sky. Admission will be limited to the first 25 guests, so reservations are strongly recommended. Appropriate for upper elementary through adult night-sky enthusiasts. |
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