I knew him, Horatio; a fellow of infinite jest, of most excellent fancy….

This of course is the old planetarium star projector, installed in 1967 when the M. D. Anderson Planetarium was first built.  The design is nearly as simple as can be:  the stars are holes of varying sizes in a metal sphere, and an arc lamp inside shines light through the holes onto the planetarium dome.  Larger stars and the Milky Way are represented by larger openings with lenses to spread the light out.

(Photo courtesy of Dr. Lisa Norgard.)

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Encore presentations of “Black Holes: the Other Side of Infinity” are on May 5 and May 19 at 7:30 PM. Admission is $5 per adult, $3 per child under 18, and $10 for a family of 3 or more. Lambuth faculty, staff, and students are admitted free with their ID.

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John Archibald Wheeler, one of the great minds of theoretical physics and astronomy, died on April 13 of this year.  He is perhaps best known for popularizing the term “black hole” to describe the collapse of a massive star core upon its death.  He worked with many of the greatest scientists of the 20th century, including Niels Bohr and Richard Feynman.

For those of us who have studied Einstein’s general theory of relativity, Wheeler’s massive book Gravitation (written with Charles Misner and Kip Thorne) holds an important place in the canon.  Wheeler also helped develop the S-matrix technique for calculating the scattering properties of subatomic particles, and (with his student Feynman) an intriguing theory of light emission and absorption known awkwardly as “delayed action-at-a-distance”. He spent most of his career at Princeton University.

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The schedule of public events has been updated to reflect what’s coming up over the next few months:

• On May 5 and May 19, we will present encore viewings of Black Holes: The Other Side of Infinity. As usual, the shows will begin at 7:30 PM, with admission being $5 for adults, $3 for 18 and under, and $10 for families of three or more. Lambuth students, staff, and faculty are admitted free with ID.
• The M.D. Anderson Planetarium will be closed completely during the months of June and July. Look for new show announcements for the fall!
• The first show for the fall season will be Monday, August 18.

Thanks to everyone who has made our first season with the new projector a great success!

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The Denver Museum of Nature and Science presents…

Black Holes: The Other Side of Infinity

Narrated by Liam Neeson

The show will be presented on

• April 21 at 7:30 PM
• May 5 at 7:30 PM
• May 19 at 7:30 PM

Admission is $5 per adult, $3 per child under 18, and $10 for a family of 3 or more. Lambuth faculty, staff, and students get in free with their ID.

Posted by Matthew R. Francis under Planetarium News & Public Events | 3 Comments »

Tonight (Monday, April 7) at 7:30, the M. D. Anderson Planetarium presents “Saturn:  News from the Ringed Planet”.  This interactive, informal presentation will discuss the discoveries made over the last 30 years about the planet Saturn, including very recent findings by the Cassini robotic probe.  We will…

• Take a close look at the magnificent ring system
• Zoom in on the surprisingly turbulent cloudy atmosphere
• Explore the wide range of bizarre moons, including smoggy Titan and volcanic Enceladus

The program begins at 7:30 PM.  Admission is $5 per adult, $3 per child under 18, and $10 for a family of 3 or more. Lambuth faculty, staff, and students get in free with their ID.

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For the month of April, we have some new things to announce:

• Monday, April 7: The planet Saturn is still bright in the early part of the night, so in honor of the ringed world, we will present a short show on the results from the Cassini robotic probe mission.  Expect some truly beautiful graphics and news about the intriguing ice moon Enceladus.
• Monday, April 21: We present “Black Holes: The Other Side of Infinity”. This program was created by Thomas Lucas Productions in collaboration with Denver Museum of Nature & Science, NOVA and the National Center for Supercomputing Applications. The show is narrated by Liam Neeson, and features truly exciting animations.

Both shows begin at 7:30 PM. Admission is $5 per adult, $3 per child under 18, and $10 for a family of 3 or more. Lambuth students get in free with their ID.

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The brightest object ever seen in the universe was detected last week: a gamma ray burst 7.5 billion light years away. For a brief time, the afterglow of the huge explosion could be seen with the unaided eye in the constellation of Boötes. To put 7.5 billion years in perspective: the Earth is 4.6 billion years old, and the entire universe is 13.7 billion years old. This means that, when the light was emitted from this gamma ray burst, the Earth hadn’t even formed!

This image shows the afterglow in X-rays (left) and in ultraviolet light (right). The March 28 Astronomy Picture of the Day has more information.

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Tonight (March 17), the Planetarium will be showing Hubble Vision 2 at 7:30 PM, and will also include a short star show following the main attraction.  In addition to talking about the stars and planets visible this week, I will discuss briefly the astronomical significance of the vernal equinox, and its connection with the holidays of Easter and Passover.

Admission is $5 per adult, $3 per child under 18, and $10 for a family of 3 or more. Lambuth students get in free with their ID.

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Tonight (March 3), the Planetarium will be showing Hubble Vision 2 at 7:30 PM, and will also include a short star show following the main attraction.

Admission is $5 per adult, $3 per child under 18, and $10 for a family of 3 or more. Lambuth students get in free with their ID.

(There is a small chance that severe weather may interfere with tonight’s program.  I will post an update if the show is canceled.)

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