Planetarium

 

 

Invitation links to the planetarium's live online events are generally posted the Thursday before. These programs are only available LIVE on Friday evenings, and on the occasional Matinee dates (typically on Sundays). Clicking on the Zoom links at other times will not work.

Please scroll down beyond the calendar for notes on upcoming 8 p.m. programs

We also look forward to the expanded capabilities of the new planetarium and observatory SMC is building for opening in 2025.

Jim Mahon
Planetarium Lecturer

Weekly Night Sky Show

The Night Sky programs will last roughly 30 - 40 minutes, followed by a short question and answer period where guests can type questions into a chat box and we will answer as many questions as possible. There will be a short intermission at approximately 7:50 p.m. prior to the start of the Feature program at 8 p.m.

Feature Programs

Note that all 8 p.m. feature programs are preceded by the 7 p.m. “Night Sky” program described above.

Currently all presentations are online ONLY, with the exception of occasional observing programs. 

 

November 8: “LA Stargazing Spots” — Planetarium Lecturer Jim Mahon. Dark skies can be hard to find in Los Angeles, so catching astronomical events like meteor showers can be difficult. However, with a little prep, decently dark skies can be found within a few hours drive.

November 15: “Mars Update” — Planetarium Lecturer Sarah Vincent. Time to check in on the Red Planet’s robotic explorers! Perseverance and Curiosity are still going strong, and so is the fleet of orbiters monitoring Mars from above.

November 22: “Quantum Physics: A Mostly Math-free Intro (audience request)” — Planetarium Lecturer Sarah Vincent. The universe behaves very differently at the quantum level, as Albert Einstein discovered. Tonight’s show takes a look — with almost no math — at the quantum behaviors that underlie the familiar universe.

December 6: "Deep Sky Deep Dive: Planetary Nebulae"  — Planetarium Lecturer Sarah Vincent.  Some dying stars explode in supernovae, some disappear into black holes, and some, like the Sun, leave behind stunning planetary nebulae. But this is not an event without casualties. When the Sun dies, if it doesn’t destroy Earth completely, it will leave Earth a scorched cinder orbiting a dead star. Earth’s fate might be to become a zombie planet.

December 13: "Constellations"  — Planetarium Lecturer Sarah Vincent. Humans love to find patterns in randomness, and the stars are no exception. The International Astronomical Union (IAU) recognizes 88 official constellations, and several sub-patterns called asterisms. Tonight’s show highlights several and offers tips for finding them through LA’s light-polluted skies.

December 20: "A Winter's Solstice" — Planetarium Lecturer Jim Mahon. People have long faced the coming of winter with festivities, and customs like the burning of the “Yule Log” and hanging of evergreens far predate the celebration of Christmas in December. Tonight’s show examines the history of various ancient observances of the Winter Solstice and how they have evolved and melded with Judeo-Christian holidays, and looks at a remarkable planetary conjunction in 2 B.C., a leading candidate for a scientific explanation for the Star of Bethlehem