Citywide
SMC’s Drescher Planetarium features galaxies, a summer star party planner, and a telescope viewing.
The Santa Monica College John Drescher Planetarium invites you to a telescope viewing session and three feature shows – as well as their popular Night Sky Show, on Friday evenings in April.
The evening events are at 8 p.m. and are preceded by “The Night Sky Show” at 7 p.m., offering the latest news in astronomy and space exploration, a family-friendly “tour” of the constellations, and the chance to ask astronomy-related questions.
The April shows are:
- “Galaxies, Galaxies, Everywhere!” on April 14 and 21. After Edwin Hubble determined that the “Spiral Nebulae” were star cities comparable to our own Milky Way, the study of galaxies became a research hotbed. Today, we can “hear” the radio voices and “see” gamma and X rays from the energetic cores of galaxies millions of light years away. Come find out about the current state of our knowledge of these fascinating objects.
- “Summer Star Party Planner” on April 28 and May 12. Gatherings of amateur astronomers to observe the evening sky are called “star parties,” and summer presents good opportunities for beginners to attend these events without having to deal with winter’s cold and travel hazards. We’ll clue you in on where and when to go, and what to bring to be a welcome star party visitor and participant. You will even have a chance to sign up for information on joining a group of amateur astronomers at a dark site in July.
The John Drescher Planetarium, which features a Digistar projection system, is located near the elevators on the second floor of Drescher Hall (1900 Pico Blvd., Santa Monica).
Tickets are available at the door and cost $11 ($9 seniors and children) for the evening’s scheduled “double bill,” or $6 ($5 seniors age 60+ and children age 12 and under) for a single Night Sky or feature show or telescope-viewing session.
For information, please call (310) 434-3005 or see www.smc.edu/eventsinfo or www.smc.edu/planetarium. All shows subject to change or cancellation without notice.
— Submitted by Grace Smith, SMC Public Information Officer