Starry Nights, the ‘ultimate urban star party’, returns to the LodeStar Astronomy Center for its sixth season on Saturday, Jan. 7, 2006. Starry Nights features a brand new planetarium show in LodeStar’s world-class digital theater, which is equipped with a quarter-million-dollar projection system and a 55-foot-diameter dome, the biggest theater screen in New Mexico.
Planetarium audiences are immersed in huge, colorful visuals of deep-space objects, via imagery from the Hubble Space Telescope and various ground-based astronomical observatories. The objects examined in detail change throughout the season and include the Orion Nebula, the Garnet Star, the Seven Sisters cluster, the Andromeda Galaxy, and the ringed planet Saturn.
The Starry Nights experience also includes telescope observing of the celestial objects presented in the planetarium show. Viewing is done through the LodeStar observatory’s 16-inch-diameter telescope that has been enhanced with new optics, as well as through a variety of telescopes on the open-air observing deck overlooking Tiguex Park and Old Town. Night sky interpreters are on hand to answer astronomy and telescope questions.
The ‘ultimate urban star party’ also provides two floors of interactive fun—a gallery of astronomy exhibits on the first floor and hands-on activities for kids of all ages on the second floor. The unique program is generously sponsored by Molina Healthcare, KOB-TV 4, 100.3 The Peak & KBAC.
Starry Nights is offered every Saturday evening from Jan. 7 through Feb. 25, 2006. Shows begin at 6:30, 7, 7:30, and 8 p.m., with a Spanish-language show at 8:30 p.m. Bilingual docents will be on hand both on the observing deck and in the activities area.
Starry Nights is a rain-or-shine event. In the event of inclement weather, planetarium shows are expanded and begin at 6:30 and 7:30 p.m., with the Spanish-language show at 8:30 pm. Admission to Starry Nights is $6 for adults, $5 for seniors, and $3 for children ages 3 to 12. Military & UNM Students, Employees and their Families who present a valid Military or UNM Lobo Card get a 25 percent discount.
Contact: Steve Carr, (505) 277-1821; e-mail: scarr@unm.edu
Posted by scarr at December 22, 2005 08:56 AM