The USM Southworth Planetarium concludes the International Year of Astronomy with a variety of different events: a telescope workshop, a night of ethereal music, another science fiction Saturday, an evening of celestial poetry, vacation week matinees, and at the very end, “New Year’s Planetarium,” a celebration of the year that was and the year that is to be. We’ll also have our weekend shows, this month featuring our annual holiday program “Season of Light.”
Admission Prices:
Matinee shows: $5.00 – adults; $4.00 – children, students and seniors
Evening astronomy shows: $6.00 – adults; $5.00- children, students and seniors
(USM students, faculty, staff and planetarium members admitted free to the astronomy programs.)
Telescope Workshop: $8.00 per person
Sci-Fi Saturday: by donation
Carolyn Currie Concert: $10 – adults ($12 at the door); $8.00 – children ($10 at the door)
“Solstice Dawning” Celestial Poetry Evening: by donation
“New Year’s Planetarium”: “Night Pass” for one donation.
For more information, call 207-780-4249, consult our web-site www.usm.maine.edu/planet
or e-mail egleason@usm.maine.edu
Wednesday, December 2, 2009
TELESCOPE WORKSHOP 6:30 – 8:30 p.m.
Do you have a telescope and want to know how to assemble it and/or use it? Do you want to buy a telescope for someone during the holidays and don’t know how to proceed? We invite you to attend our telescope workshop to learn the basics of telescopes! You’re welcome to bring your telescopes! $8.00 per person. Call 207-780-4249 for tickets or more information.
Friday, December 4, 2009
7:00 p.m. SEASON OF LIGHT: a family show about the history and astronomy of the holiday season Discover the origins of Santa Claus, the solstice festivals, the Hanukkah Menorah, and much more!
8:30 p.m. EXTREME PLANETS: a new show about the search for and discovery of planets around other star systems. How do astronomers find them? Might any of them be like Earth?
Saturday, December 5, 2009
12:00 p.m. SCI-FI Saturday: “Close Encounters of the Third Kind.”
Join us for one of the most famous alien movies ever made. Before ET…before War of the Worlds…Steven Spielberg directed a highly successful film about the first interaction of humans and beings from another world. We invite you to watch this amazing movie on our star dome theatre.
Admission by donation.
3:00 p.m. SEASON OF LIGHT: a family show about the history and astronomy of the holiday season Discover the origins of Santa Claus, the solstice festivals, the Hanukkah Menorah, and much more!
Sunday, December 6, 2009
3:00 p.m. SEASON OF LIGHT: a family show about the history and astronomy of the holiday season Discover the origins of Santa Claus, the solstice festivals, the Hanukkah Menorah, and much more!
Wednesday, December 9, 2009
7:00 p.m. Greater Portland Astronomical Society Meeting.
Friday, December 11,2009
7:00 p.m. SEASON OF LIGHT: a family show about the history and astronomy of the holiday season Discover the origins of Santa Claus, the solstice festivals, the Hanukkah Menorah, and much more!
8:30 p.m. BLACK HOLES: they are one of the most fascinating and powerful objects in the Universe. Explore the exciting realm of the black hole. How do they form? How do we find them? How do they distort space-time?
Saturday, December 12, 2009
3:00 p.m. SEASON OF LIGHT: a family show about the history and astronomy of the holiday season Discover the origins of Santa Claus, the solstice festivals, the Hanukkah Menorah, and much more!
7:00 p.m. “ETHEREAL MUSIC UNDER THE STARS: An Evening with Carolyn Currie.”
Experience the enchantment of Carolyn Currie’s music down in our star dome theatre. Carolyn Currie performs live in front of our dome audience. Recline under our stars while listening to her blend of new age-Celtic music. We are pleased to announce that acclaimed folk singer Celeste Krenz will also perform a couple of songs. Admission: $10.00 – adults ($12 at the door); $8.00 – children ($10 at the door.) Call 207-780-4249 for tickets
Sunday, December 13, 2009
3:00 p.m. SEASON OF LIGHT: a family show about the history and astronomy of the holiday season Discover the origins of Santa Claus, the solstice festivals, the Hanukkah Menorah, and much more!
Friday, December 18, 2009
7:00 p.m. “SOLSTICE DAWNING” CELESTIAL POETRY EVENING
Writers read poetical works -theirs and others- in celebration of nature, the night sky, Universe, mythology, love and the change of seasons. We have three poetry evenings each year. “Solstice Dawning” is the planetarium event that welcomes the onset of winter. Join us for a night of stars and poetry. Admission by donation.
Saturday, December 19, 2009
3:00 p.m. SEASON OF LIGHT: a family show about the history and astronomy of the holiday season Discover the origins of Santa Claus, the solstice festivals, the Hanukkah Menorah, and much more!
Sunday, December 20, 2009
3:00 p.m. SEASON OF LIGHT: a family show about the history and astronomy of the holiday season Discover the origins of Santa Claus, the solstice festivals, the Hanukkah Menorah, and much more!
Planetarium is closed on Christmas: Friday, December 25
Saturday, December 26, 2009
3:00 p.m. SEASON OF LIGHT: a family show about the history and astronomy of the holiday season Discover the origins of Santa Claus, the solstice festivals, the Hanukkah Menorah, and much more!
Sunday, December 27, 2009
FREE Sunday: Free and open to the public! One show per person, please
1:00 p.m. SEASON OF LIGHT: a family show about the history and astronomy of the holiday season Discover the origins of Santa Claus, the solstice festivals, the Hanukkah Menorah, and much more!
3:00 p.m. FIRES IN THE SKY: a show about the birth and death of stars. Follow the cycles of stellar evolution
Monday, December 28, 2009
11:00 a.m. RUSTY ROCKET’S LAST BLAST! Join Rusty Rocket and his band of rocket rookies as they explore the planets. This show combines humor, animation and updated planetary images to present you and your family with a fun and informative solar system tour.
1:00 p.m. SEASON OF LIGHT: a family show about the history and astronomy of the holiday season Discover the origins of Santa Claus, the solstice festivals, the Hanukkah Menorah, and much more!
Tuesday, December 29, 2009
11:00 a.m. EIGHT PLANETS AND COUNTING: An updated solar system show about the eight planets, hundreds of moons, thousands of asteroids and, of course, the Sun. Explore the solar system all over again!
1:00 p.m. EXTREME PLANETS: a new show about the search for and discovery of planets around other star systems. How do astronomers find them? Might any of them be like Earth?
Wednesday, December 30, 2009
11:00 a.m. RUSTY ROCKET’S LAST BLAST! Join Rusty Rocket and his band of rocket rookies as they explore the planets. This show combines humor, animation and updated planetary images to present you and your family with a fun and informative solar system tour.
1:00 p.m. SEASON OF LIGHT: a family show about the history and astronomy of the holiday season Discover the origins of Santa Claus, the solstice festivals, the Hanukkah Menorah, and much more!
Thursday, December 31, 2009
11:00 a.m. EIGHT PLANETS AND COUNTING: An updated solar system show about the eight planets, hundreds of moons, thousands of asteroids and, of course, the Sun. Explore the solar system all over again!
1:00 p.m. EXTREME PLANETS: a new show about the search for and discovery of planets around other star systems. How do astronomers find them? Might any of them be like Earth?
NEW YEAR’S PLANETARIUM:
We end the International Year of Astronomy with an evening of some of this year’s new shows and a couple of our shows from last year!
We also introduce a brand new show, “Cosmic Collisions!”
For the price of one donation, you may purchase a “night pass” to attend any of these programs.
We remember 2009 and welcome 2010 with an event we started at the end of last year: “NEW YEAR’S PLANETARIUM!”
Show schedule
7:00 p.m. BLACK HOLES!
They are one of the most fascinating and powerful objects in the Universe. Explore the exciting realm of the black hole. How do they form? How do we find them? How do they distort space-time?
8:00 p.m. EXTREME PLANETS
A new show about the search for and discovery of planets around other star systems. How do astronomers find them? Might any of them be like Earth?
9:00 p.m. EIGHT PLANETS AND COUNTING
An updated solar system show about the eight planets, hundreds of moons, thousands of asteroids and, of course, the Sun. Explore the solar system all over again!
10:00 p.m. TWO PIECES OF GLASS
A pleasant show about the science and history of telescopes
10:30 p.m. RING WORLD
Follow the Cassini-Huygens mission to the Saturn system. Get a close up view of the magnificent planet Saturn and its retinue of exotic moons.
11:15 p.m. NEW SHOW: COSMIC COLLISIONS
From asteroid impacts to merging galaxies, our dynamic universe is a veritable gallery of collisions! Explore our kinetic and often violent
Universe in this new program narrated by Robert Redford.
