The Santa Monica College Planetarium will present live-hosted shows on Friday evenings in August, along with a Sunday Family Matinée on Aug. 16, featuring programs on the Mars rover Curiosity, the Great Observatories, eclipses and moon phases, and the sun.
Each show runs about 40 minutes and is followed by a short audience Q&A with Planetarium Lecturer Sarah Vincent. Friday shows begin at 6 p.m. with "The Night Sky Show," which covers the latest news in astronomy and space exploration, followed at 7 p.m. by the feature program. No children under age 3 are permitted at Friday shows. The Sunday matinée starts at 1 p.m. with "The Night Sky Show," followed by a feature program at 2 p.m.
"The Night Sky Show" plays Aug. 7, 14, 21 and 28 at 6 p.m., and at the Aug. 16 matinée at 1 p.m. Feature programs include "Mission Close-up: Curiosity" on Aug. 7 at 7 p.m., examining the rover's decade-plus exploration of Mars; "The Great Observatories" on Aug. 14 at 7 p.m. and Aug. 16 at 2 p.m., about the four space-based telescopes including Hubble; "Physics of Eclipses and Moon Phases" on Aug. 21 at 7 p.m., ahead of the Aug. 27 partial lunar eclipse; and "Solar System Survey: Sun" on Aug. 28 at 7 p.m., the first in a new series.
All shows take place in the SMC Planetarium, room MSB 126 of the Mathematics + Science Building on the SMC Main Campus at 1900 Pico Blvd. Free parking is available on campus.
Tickets are $10 for adults and $7 for children ages 3-12 for either "The Night Sky Show" or a feature program. A combo ticket is $16 for adults and $10 for children. Tickets may be purchased at smc.edu/tickets, with a $1 per ticket service fee.
All shows are subject to change or cancellation without notice. More information is available at smc.edu/planetarium or by calling 310-434-4163.
Edited by SMDP Staff