Planets forming within Orion’s sword and a telescopic view of the winter sky will be ripe for discussion this month, as Santa Monica College’s John Drescher Planetarium presents the feature shows “Starbirth in Orion’s Sword” and “Winter Sky Highlights.”
“Starbirth,” which uncovers the recent discoveries of hundreds of potential planetary systems, will be presented on Friday, Jan. 18, at 8 p.m.
“Winter Sky Highlights” will include glimpses of the Pleiades star cluster, the great Orion Nebula and the red giant star Betelgeuse. If the weather is cloudy, professional images of the objects will be shown. “Winter Sky Highlights” will be staged on Friday, Jan. 25, at 8 p.m.
Both shows are preceded by “The Night Sky Show,” which re-creates the night sky and provides the latest information on space exploration, at 7 p.m.
The John Drescher Planetarium, which features the Digistar projection system, is located on the second floor of Drescher Hall, 1900 Pico Blvd. Tickets are $5 each or $9 for the “double bill,” with discounts for children and senior citizens. For information, call (310) 434-4223 or (310) 434-3000. DP
Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on January 12, 2008. Read the original PDF.